US reaches 300,000 COVID-19 deaths as vaccinations start

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The US has reported over 300,000 fatalities due to coronavirus.
• The 300,000 deaths came as the country kicked start its inoculation campaign using the FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
• The nation has recorded over 16 million coronavirus cases since the outbreak in January.

Based on a Reuters tracking on Monday, the US has reached over 300,000 deaths due to COVID-19, the same day where the nation kicked start its vaccine distributions across the states.

The enormous death toll came as the country began its nationwide inoculation campaign through the COVID-19 vaccine created by Pfizer and German pharmaceutical BioNTech. 

Since the Thanksgiving holiday, new infections have consistently set a daily record high. Last Friday, the death toll reached 3,000 twice in a row, the same day where the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the emergency use of Pfizer’s vaccine.

From the 250,000 death toll, the country only took 27 days to pass the 300,000 mark. It was the quickest fatality growth since the coronavirus outbreak started worldwide.

Both North Dakota and South Dakota suffered the highest deaths per capita in recent weeks. But in total, New York and New Jersey, the epicenter of the virus outbreak during the lockdown stage, have reported the most deaths.

Reuters‘ analysis showed that the country suffered 91 fatalities per 100,000 infected individuals. On a per-capita basis, it is the seventh-worst in the world.

Hospitals across the country are enduring to take care of infected patients as the pandemic continues to overpower the nation’s healthcare systems. 

Based on the data, over 108,000 patients were hospitalized in the US (highest in the world) since the first COVID-19 case was reported in January.

The US has reached over 16 million coronavirus infections, the highest cases across the globe.

In a bid to further stop the spread of the virus, the FDA is expected to give clearance on Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine this week.

Source: AOL.com