Coronavirus Watch: December was worst month yet
December was the worst month yet for the coronavirus, with one American dying about every 35 seconds.
The U.S. reported 6.3 million new infections in December, a more than 40% increase from November's cases.
The December death toll also set a record with 77,572 deaths, more than 16,800 deaths above the previous monthly record set in April, a Paste BN analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.
This is Monday's Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's what you need to know today:
- President-elect Joe Biden’s pledge to administer 100 million shots of the vaccine within his first 100 days in office is achievable, says Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert.
- Vaccine rollout in the U.S. is still ramping up, and just over 4 million people have received a first dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Britain became the first nation on Monday to use the vaccine developed by Oxford University and drugmaker AstraZeneca, which has not yet been authorized for emergency use in the U.S.
- Holiday travel: More than 1.3 million travelers passed through U.S. airports Sunday, a new pandemic travel record as passengers headed from the holidays.
- Funeral homes in Southern California say they are turning away grieving families as they run out of space. One funeral home is averaging six times its normal rate, or about 30 body removals a day. The head of the California Funeral Directors Association says mortuaries are being “inundated.”
- Biden won’t get a traditional inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue after he takes the oath of office, but he will get a presidential escort to the White House.
A look at the numbers: In the U.S., over 20.6 million cases and 351,000 deaths. Worldwide, 85.3 million cases and 1.8 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
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– Rachel Aretakis, breaking news editor, @raretakis