The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is convening a panel of advisers today to determine who will be the first in line to be vaccinated against COVID-19 — as the U.S. coronavirus outbreak continues to shatter world records. On Monday, U.S. hospitalizations topped 96,000 — a record high. There were 168,000 new confirmed cases and nearly 1,300 new deaths Monday. There were over 4 million confirmed U.S. infections in November alone.
Here in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo warned of a looming “nightmare of overwhelmed hospitals,” saying he’s prepared to once again close nonessential businesses if cases keep rising. Cuomo also ordered hospitals to call up retired medical workers.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo: “Every hospital has to identify retired nurses and doctors now. We’re already experiencing staff shortages. Staff just gets exhausted after a while. They’ve had a horrendous year.”
In California, a new remain-at-home order went into effect across Los Angeles County on Monday, as Governor Gavin Newsom warned similar orders could soon follow for nearly all of California’s 58 counties.
Gov. Gavin Newsom: “If these trends continue, we’re going to have to take much more dramatic, arguably drastic, action.”