US health experts fear January may turn out to be worst in terms of COVID-19

Health experts in the United States have suggested that the month January may turn out to be the worst month for the country in terms of coronavirus pandemic. According to stats provided by Johns Hopkins University, the United States recorded its first two million cases in over 90 days earlier last year, however, it took just 10 days in January this year to post over 2 million new infections. The recent surge in cases is a matter of concern for public health officials in the country. 

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According to the data, more than 27,000 people have lost their lives in the last 10 days and according to the experts, if the trend continues, it will be the worst month recorded in terms of deaths since January last year, when the US reported its first COVID-19 case. The United States recorded over 4,000 new deaths on January 7, it's highest ever since the pandemic began late in 2019. Although the mortality rate has declined since then, it continues to maintain a significantly higher rate compared to several worst-affected countries. 

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The United States also recorded its highest single-day tally of new COVID-19 cases on January 8 as it registered over 3,00,000 new infections. As per the latest data, more than 1,29,000 people were hospitalised across the country on Sunday, which was the fourth straight day when hospitalisation remained above 1,00,000. Experts have also expressed concerns about the new COVID-19 strain from the United Kingdom that has already arrived in the country and may contribute to faster transmission. 

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Vaccination drive in the US

Meanwhile, the United States is conducting the COVID-19 vaccination drive across the nation with two vaccines that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US government has managed to inoculate more than six million people, which is still way short of the 20 million target the country had set to achieve before the end of 2020. President-elect Joe Biden has said that the first thing he will do after assuming office will be to release all the available doses of vaccines in order to speed up the immunisation process.   

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(Image Credit: AP)