Nearly 100,000 Americans Hospitalized With COVID-19
More Than 1 Million New Infections Weekly
Surging Virus Threatens Economic Recovery as Rent Is Due, Protections Run Out
White House Plans Super-Spreader Holiday Parties Amid Burgeoning Caseload
Donald Trump’s failure to aggressively combat the pandemic has resulted in a worsening crisis as President-Elect Biden prepares to take office.
Millions of Americans are becoming infected with coronavirus each week, with record numbers requiring hospitalization. Experts warn that the death toll will climb as the holidays pass. And with the virus spreading uncontrolled, economists promise that more financial hardship is on the horizon.
Donald Trump’s abdication of responsibility for this crisis means that Americans will continue to suffer until the Biden administration takes over, and that the President-Elect will have a catastrophe of increasingly dire proportions on his hands when he assumes the presidency.
Hospitalizations Are at an All-Time High After November Sees More Viral Spread Than Any Other Month Since the Pandemic Began
- More Than 96,000 People In The United Stats Are Hospitalized With The Virus, A Record High As The Holidays Approach. “As the crush of incoming Covid-19 patients continues to strain hospitals across the US, officials across several states are worried their hospitals will be overwhelmed as the holiday season approaches. A record-high 96,039 Covid-19 patients were hospitalized in the US as of Monday evening, according to the Covid Tracking Project.” [CNN, 11/30/20]
- Average Daily Hospitalizations In The United States Are Up Nearly Ten Percent From Last Week, As 18 States Report Record Highs. “The US is now averaging 91,326 hospitalizations over the last 7 days. This is up 9.63% since last week. These metrics have never been higher. 18 states reported record-high hospitalizations on Monday.” [CNN, 12/1/20]
- Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean Of Brown University’s School Of Public Health: “The Next Three Months Are Going To Be Just Horrible.” “The nation now must endure a critical period of transition, one that threatens to last far too long, as we set aside justifiable optimism about next spring and confront the dark winter ahead. Some epidemiologists predict that the death toll by March could be close to twice the 250,000 figure that the nation surpassed only last week. ‘The next three months are going to be just horrible,’ said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health and one of two dozen experts interviewed by The New York Times about the near future.” [New York Times, 11/30/20]
- The United States Is Reporting More Than A Million New Coronavirus Infections Every Week. “The United States has reached an appalling milestone: more than one million new coronavirus cases every week. Hospitals in some states are full to bursting. The number of deaths is rising and seems on track to easily surpass the 2,200-a-day average in the spring, when the pandemic was concentrated in the New York metropolitan area.” [New York Times, 11/30/20]
- More Than 30 Percent Of All Covid Cases Ever Reported In The United States Occurred In November Alone. “November has been a month of unprecedented Covid-19 surge. More than 30% of all cases ever reported in the US happened just this month, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Testing has also increased, but not at the same pace as new cases. About 23% of all Covid-19 tests were performed in November, according to the Covid Tracking Project.” [CNN, 11/30/20]
- Average Daily New Infections Have Increased By 95.5 Percent Since November 1. “The US now averages 160,428 Covid-19 cases per day, which is down slightly from last week due to the holiday. Going back to Nov. 1, the nation was averaging 82,057 new cases per day. That is a 95.51% increase over just 30 days.” [CNN, 12/1/20]
Millions of Americans Face Worsening Economic Crisis as Virus Surges and Rent Is Due
- Nearly 40 Million Americans Face Eviction Over The Next Several Months. “According to research by the Aspen Institute, nearly 40 million Americans could face eviction over the next several months. The only thing holding back the flood right now is the CDC’s eviction moratorium order and a patchwork of state and local protections for renters.” [Vox, 11/27/20]
- One In Six Americans Is Facing Food Insecurity As The Pandemic Exacts Economic Toll. “An October report from Feeding America says about one in six Americans are food insecure, a result of growing unemployment and disruptions in the food supply chain… Feeding America also says the pandemic has reversed nearly a decade’s worth of progress made on reducing food insecurity.” [CBS, 11/30/20]
- 42 Millions Student Loan Borrowers Are Set To See Payments Resume In January. “Monthly payments for most federal student loans have been on pause since March, when the CARES Act gave 42 million borrowers relief during the coronavirus pandemic. For the more than 37 million of those borrowers that haven’t made a payment in months, the unprecedented break is coming to an end. The moratorium will lapse in December, meaning payments will resume again in January unless another extension comes soon.” [CNBC, 12/1/20]
- Yale Economist: The United States Is On The Cusp Of A “Double Dip” Recession And The Crash Of The US Dollar As The Virus Surges. “The U.S. may be on the cusp of a double-dip recession. Economist Stephen Roach believes surging coronavirus cases are disrupting Wall Street’s hopes for a V-shaped recovery. ‘With the infection rate soaring right now, a still vulnerable U.S. economy is likely to experience further lockdowns,’ the Yale University senior fellow told CNBC’s ‘Trading Nation’ on Monday. Even though he believes the lockdowns won’t be as severe as they were last spring, Roach warns the damage will be undeniable… The fallout is also contributing to a massive dollar decline, according to Roach. He has been warning the Street since last spring a crash is virtually inevitable.” [CNBC, 11/30/20]
- The Department Of Labor Has Been Miscounting And Underpaying America’s Unemployed. “The Department of Labor has been both miscounting the number of people receiving unemployment benefits and underpaying those under a special program instituted to address the coronavirus pandemic, according to a government watchdog report Monday… States… are underpaying those workers displaced because of the business restrictions associated with the pandemic. Rather than provide compensation based on previous pay, states are paying out just the minimum level required. That has resulted in potential economic hardship as federal programs addressing the situation are about to run out.” [CNBC, 11/30/20]
But Rather Than Take Action to Protect Americans, the Trump White House Is Planning Super Spreader Holiday Parties
- The White House Is Planning More Than A Dozen Indoor Holiday Parties, Including A Congressional Ball. “While many public health professionals have asked Americans not to congregate in large group settings and avoid travel over the holidays because of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 266,000 Americans and infected 13 million more, the White House is expected to throw more than a dozen indoor parties, including a large congressional ball on Dec. 10, officials say.” [Washington Post, 12/1/20]
- The Events Will Include More Than 50 People — Many Of Whom Will Not Be Tested In Advance — And Could Contribute To Rising Cases. “The events will include more than 50 people and could risk the health of White House staff and others who work the parties — along with contributing to a rise in coronavirus cases during an especially grim stretch of the pandemic. Most guests will not be tested in advance, an official said. Across Washington, many trade associations, groups and other political entities are not having a holiday party this year, because of concerns about spreading the deadly virus. Millions of families across the country have also canceled their plans to gather together in large groups.” [Washington Post, 12/1/20]