US Still Reporting 150,000 New Cases Daily, 100,000+ Still Hospitalized
Nearly 4,000 Coronavirus Fatalities Yesterday
US “In a Race” Against Highly Contagious New Variants
Nation Must Defeat the Pandemic Before the Economy Can Recover
The pandemic is by no means under control. Despite the fact that hospitalizations and new infections have declined slightly since their post-holiday peaks, they both persist in dangerous numbers that are higher than the worst peaks from the spring and summer. The death toll in the United States is rising rapidly, nearly 4,000 fatalities occurring yesterday alone. New, highly contagious variants — one of which has already been identified in 28 states — are threatening to undo what little progress has been made as the Biden Administration works to rectify the vaccine disaster left by its predecessor. Initial jobless claims are still higher than during the worst weeks of the Great Recession, with economists warning that containing the pandemic is key to revitalizing the economy.
It never should have been this bad. But the Trump Administration took little action to protect the health and safety of Americans — instead leaving in its wake a raging virus, an economic crisis, and disastrous vaccine problems. Now, Congress has no choice but to take up and pass President Biden’s American Rescue Plan — which would provide direct relief to struggling American families, scale up federal investment in vaccines, analytics, and testing to contain the pandemic, and get the nation back on track.
New Infections and Hospitalizations Remain at Elevated Levels as Deaths Soar
- The United States Reported More Than 3,900 Coronavirus Fatalities On January 27. “The nation reported more than 3,900 fatalities due to the disease Wednesday, bringing the total death toll to more than 429,000.” [Wall Street Journal, 1/28/21]
- There Are Still More Than 100,000 People Hospitalized Across The Country, And More Than 20,000 Being Treated In ICUs. “Hospitalizations, which totaled 107,444 as of Wednesday, have been on the decline since Jan. 12 when the figure was at 131,326, according to the Covid Tracking Project. The number of people in intensive care units also fell slightly to 20,497.” [Wall Street Journal, 1/28/21]
- Daily New Infections Are Hovering Around 150,000 Cases. “Newly reported cases hovered around 150,000 for the third day in a row…. Newly reported coronavirus cases for Wednesday topped 152,000, up slightly from the previous day’s revised total of more than 146,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.” [Wall Street Journal, 1/28/21]
The United States Is “In a Race” Against New Variants as Biden Aims to Rectify Trump Vaccine Disaster
- Experts Are Warning Against Highly Contagious Variants Of The Virus, One Of Which Has Already Been Identified In 28 States. “Experts say there’s still reason to worry. For one, there are new variants circulating in the US that are threatening another surge and could make even everyday activities more dangerous. Cases of a variant first spotted in the UK have been detected in at least 28 states, new data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. And Minnesota officials recently announced the first US case of another variant, detected in a traveler from Brazil.” [CNN, 1/28/21]
- CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky: The Variants Can “Lead To [An] Increased Number Of Cases And Increased Stress On Our Already Overtaxed System.” “’The variants that have been identified recently seem to spread more easily,’ CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday. ‘They’re more transmissible, which can lead to increased number of cases and increased stress on our already overtaxed system.’” [CNN, 1/28/21]
- The United States Must Rectify The Vaccination Problems Left By The Trump Administration To Protect Against New Strains Of The Virus. “Vaccination efforts in the U.S. have been hamstrung by delivery issues, insufficient supply and hesitancy to get the shots. But to avert another surge of infections, hospitalizations and deaths, scientists say it may be necessary to rethink how the vaccines are rolled out to ramp up the number of shots administered and to protect against new strains of the virus.” [NBC News, 1/28/21]
- Columbia Epidemiologist Wan Yang: “We Really Are In A Race Against New Variants.” “’We really are in a race against new variants,’ said Wan Yang, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. ‘We need to prepare as much as possible before things increase to a level that puts more strain on our health care systems.’” [NBC News, 1/28/21]
The Pandemic Must Be Contained Before the Economy Can Recover
- Nearly 850,000 Americans Filed For First-Time Unemployment Benefits Last Week. “America’s unemployment crisis is now President Joe Biden’s problem, and jobless claims in his (partial) first week as president show how far the economy has to go to get back to normal. Another 847,000 Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Department of Labor. It was a decrease from the 914,000 claims in the week before.” [CNN, 1/28/21]
- Just One Year Ago, Jobless Claims Stood Around 200,000 — And Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell Says Americans Must Get Vaccinated To Get The Economy Back To Normal. “A year ago, jobless claims hovered around 200,000 each week. So America has a long path to get back to that healthy level… Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday the priority must be getting the American population vaccinated against Covid-19. No programs will be able to help get the economy fully back to normal until the pandemic is under control.” [CNN, 1/28/21]
- Powell: “You’re Just Going To Have To Defeat The Pandemic… That’s The Single Most Important Economic Growth Policy That We Can Have.” “’There’s been a lot of adapting — but you can’t adapt hotels, sporting venues, movie theaters, restaurants, bars. That’s millions and millions of people,’ Powell said at a press conference. ‘And so you’re just going to have to defeat the pandemic. …That is really the main thing about the economy is getting the pandemic under control, getting everyone vaccinated, getting people wearing masks and all that,’ he added. ‘That’s the single most important economic growth policy that we can have.’” [CNN, 1/28/21]