For the first time in the course of the pandemic, the United States reported more than 3,100 deaths in a single day, according to a Washington Post analysis.
With overtaxed intensive care units running out of beds in many parts of the country, the number of people hospitalized with covid-19 reached a record 106,000 on Wednesday.
The grim reminders of the pandemic’s devastating toll came as two vaccine candidates appear to be on the verge of clearing the country’s final regulatory hurdles.
An advisory panel will meet Thursday to decide whether to recommend that the Food and Drug Administration approve the Pfizer-BioTech vaccine.
Read also: Pfizer, BioNTech dose first US patients in clinical trial for COVID-19 vaccine
Here are some significant developments:
• Regulators in Saudi Arabia approved Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine on Thursday, one day after it was approved for use in Canada.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more Americans have received the flu shot this year than ever before, amid public health warnings of a possible “twindemic” if coronavirus and influenza both surge this winter.
• German officials started surveilling one of the country’s most influential anti-restriction groups at the “epicenter” of coronavirus protests, citing its ties to the far-right.
• Surveys show that Americans have mixed feelings about accepting a vaccine once it is federally approved. Between 33 and 47 percent of respondents said they were not willing or not likely to get vaccinated.
• US State Department hosted about 200 guests for holiday drinks and White House tours despite warnings from public health experts.
