US Reports 4,300+ Deaths in a Single Day
US Regularly Reporting 200,000+ New Infections
Hospitalizations Persist at High Levels, Jeopardizing Patient Care
The coronavirus crisis continues to worsen each and every day. The United States approaches 400,000 deaths to the pandemic, reporting more than 4,300 fatalities yesterday alone. The country is regularly reporting more than 200,000 new infections. And as hospitals treat patients at more than 100 percent capacity, new research suggests that a sustained crush of patients could nearly double a patient’s risk of death.
National Trends: The United States Reports Highest-Ever Daily Death Toll as Cases Continue to Climb
The United States Reported More Than 4,300 Deaths To Coronavirus On January 12, A Daily Record.
- “More than 4,300 people died from the disease in the U.S. on Tuesday—a single-day record, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The nation’s total death toll surpassed 380,000.” [Wall Street Journal, 1/13/21]
The United States Has Reported More Than 200,000 New Infections Each Day For Eight Consecutive Days.
- “More than 215,000 new cases were reported for Tuesday, the eight consecutive day above 200,000, according to Johns Hopkins. Nationwide, more than 22.8 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began.” c[Wall Street Journal, 1/13/21]
More Than 131,000 Patients Were Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of January 12, With More Than 23,000 In ICUs.
- “The stretch of elevated daily caseloads is weighing on the nation’s hospitals. More than 131,000 people were hospitalized for Covid-19 as of Tuesday, according to the Covid Tracking Project, slightly higher than the previous day’s tally. The number of patients in intensive care units rose to 23,881, the 14th day in a row above 23,000.” [Wall Street Journal, 1/13/21]
A New Study Suggests Patients In Hospitals With Maxed-Out ICUs Have A 92 Percent Increased Risk Of Death.
- “The crush of new Covid-19 hospital patients is probably leading to more deaths. When intensive care units go from zero beds occupied to every bed full, patients have a 92 percent increased risk of death from Covid-19, according to a pre-print published Wednesday on MedRxiv. (The paper has yet to be peer-reviewed.) That means that when hospitals are pushed to maximum ICU capacity, the worst-case scenario is a near doubling of the risk of death for severely sick patients, the study found.” [Vox, 1/13/21]
Independent Pharmacies And Smaller Doctors’ Offices Are Waiting On The Sidelines As Vaccines Approach Expiration On Pharmacy Shelves.
- “While millions of vaccine doses sit on shelves at risk of spoilage at short-staffed, overwhelmed hospitals, smaller doctors’ offices and independent pharmacies have been sitting on the sidelines. As of Tuesday, 9 million U.S. residents have been vaccinated, according to CDC data, a far cry from the 20 million people the administration promised to vaccinate by the end of 2020. Four weeks since celebratory first doses, federal officials have distributed 25 million doses to states. The rollout contrasts sharply with flu vaccination, which saw 192 million doses sent to an estimated 150,000 hospitals, clinics, doctors’ offices, mobile clinics and schools within a few months.” [Roll Call, 1/13/21]
Just 36 Percent Of Vaccine Doses Distributed To States Have Been Administered.
- “Nationwide, only about 36 percent of the doses delivered to states have been administered, according to a dashboard maintained by Bloomberg News. Plus, the doses that have arrived, and are mostly sitting in freezers, are fewer than were originally promised: The Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed originally committed to vaccinating 20 million Americans before the end of last year.” [WIRED, 1/13/21]
In the States: Hospitals Are Overwhelmed as States Continue to Break Pandemic Records
More Texans Are Now Hospitalized With COVID-19 Than During Any Other Point In The Pandemic, As The State Sets Records For New Infections.
- “Dallas County and the state of Texas set records for number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on Tuesday. The state crossed the 14,000 threshold, while Dallas County reported more than 1,200. In addition, both Texas and Dallas County set records for numbers of new COVID-19 cases in a single day, outside of backlog reports.” [WFAA, 1/12/21]
Austin, Texas Is Opening An Overflow Field Hospital As Coronavirus Cases Surge.
- “The Austin area opened a field hospital in a convention center Tuesday as cases of the disease caused by the coronavirus continue to soar. The opening came as state health officials reported that Texas had surpassed 14,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients for the first time, as well as 22,000 more newly confirmed cases. For now, the Austin field hospital will have 25 beds and can expand if needed.” [Associated Press, 1/13/21]
Oklahoma Is Averaging 50 Percent More Daily Infections Now Than Two Weeks Ago, As Hospitals Treat Patients In Hallways And Waiting Rooms.
- “Oklahoma is in the grip of a frightening surge of the coronavirus, the worst it has yet seen and one of the worst in America’s winter. Mercy Hospital Ardmore, in rural Oklahoma, has so many Covid-19 patients that some people are being cared for in curtained-off areas of hallways and the emergency department’s waiting room. It has been this way for weeks. ‘The people coming in are very, very sick, and they don’t quickly get better,’ said Paula Pfau, the hospital’s nursing director. Oklahoma is averaging nearly 4,000 new cases each day, an increase of almost 50 percent from two weeks ago. Rural counties in the southern part of the state, including around Ardmore, are now among the hardest hit in the country relative to their populations.” [New York Times, 1/13/21]
More Than Two Dozen Georgia Hospitals Have No Available Beds In Intensive Care Units.
- “Hospitals in metro Atlanta are overflowing with coronavirus sufferers, and more than two dozen Georgia hospitals have no available beds in intensive care units, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.” [USA Today, 1/12/21]
As Georgia Hospitalizations Continue To Climb, The State Has Report Record Deaths Since The Pandemic Began.
- “Georgia reported 145 COVID-related deaths Tuesday, the state’s highest single-day total recorded since the pandemic began. More than 9,000 new infections were also reported Tuesday, along with 435 new hospitalizations. The overall number of COVID hospitalizations currently has hit 5,700, continuing its steady, record-breaking climb.” [Georgia Health News, 1/12/21]
Treating Patients At 137 Percent Capacity, A Nevada Hospital Has Issued A Disaster Declaration.
- “With COVID-19 patients pushing hospitals across Southern Nevada to near capacity, one Las Vegas hospital issued a disaster declaration over the weekend. St. Rose Dominican Hospital, San Martin campus, issued the declaration Saturday, when a surge in patients increased occupancy in its intensive care unit to 137 percent, according to an email obtained by the Review-Journal that was sent by the administration to hospital physicians.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1/12/21]