The second wave of COVID-19 has proved to be far more deadly than the first time around with record numbers of cases and hospitalizations per day. On Wednesday, a huge number of people – 65, 368 were hospitalized with COVID-19. This was the second day in a row, with such high numbers. On Tuesday, the number of hospitalized cases were 61,964.
The number of cases this November week have peaked much above the first peak earlier this year in April. The number of cases in that peak was 59,540.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University the US has recorded over 10.4 million confirmed infections. The coronavirus has caused over 241,000 deaths to date. New cases are soaring and have reached all-time highs. The past week has seen over 120,000 cases per day.
This virus spreads and infects so many people in such a short time with many being asymptomatic (not exhibiting common symptoms like cold, cough or the flu). Pfizer has announced positive results for its newly developed vaccine. This is a beacon of hope, but it will take a long period of time for it to be administered in large numbers. Wearing a mask protects others as well as the wearer. Social distancing and hygiene have also helped to decrease the spread of this virus and are the need of the hour.
