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Added on the 12/12/2020 11:00:50 - Copyright : Wochit
16 states across the US broke a grim record on Friday, reporting their highest total of people hospitalized for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Business Insider reports that since last fall, cases of COVID-19 have surged nationwide, particularly following the end of the holiday season. Alabama, Arkansas, Maryland, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia were hit hardest. Record hospitalizations were also seen this week in Arizona, California, Delaware, and Maine. The US Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for two COVID-19 vaccines at the end of 2020. However, a slow rollout means it will be many months before all who want a vaccination are immunized.
Dr. Anthony Fauci had previously said it could take up to 90% of the US population to get vaccinated to reach herd immunity against the coronavirus. But on Sunday, he clarified his 'guesstimate' downwards to 70 to 85% of the population. Business Insider reports Fauci admitted on CNN's 'State of the Union' that 'we all have to be honest and humble, nobody really knows for sure.' This month, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized both Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. Healthcare professionals and frontline workers across the country have been getting vaccinations since the vaccine rollouts.
Last week, the FDA authorized emergency use of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine to battle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The first doses went to frontline healthcare workers. Three doctors who spoke to Business Insider about what it was like to receive the first dose. The most common side effect was 24 hours of muscle soreness.
The White House is desperate to announce the authorization of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. Mark Meadows has reportedly pressured FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn to announce the emergency authorization by the end of the day on Friday. Citing a report in the Washington Post, Business Insider reports that Meadows gave Hahn an ultimatum. Hahn either moves up the announcement or submit his resignation. This comes after President Donald Trump went after the agency on Twitter earlier in the morning, calling it "a big, old, slow turtle." Hahn denied the Post's report shortly after it was published, calling it "untrue." The White House declined to comment.
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