U.S. Reports 2,800 Deaths In A Single Day, Hospitals On The Brink Due to Coronavirus

More than 2,800 people died across the U.S. on Dec. 2, due to the coronavirus pandemic, making it the highest one day total ever reported.

The previous high for deaths in one day was just over 2,600 deaths which was recorded on April 15, at the height of the virus’ first wave. Additionally, more than 100,000 patients are currently in hospitals, putting a strain on state healthcare systems as they run out of beds for patients.

Healthcare experts and officials are now predicting the daily coronavirus “death count could regularly surpass 2,000 or 3,000, and perhaps approach 4,000 within two weeks” as a result of traveling during the holidays.

“By this time next week, we are going to be talking about 3,000 deaths a day — that’s 9/11 every single day,” Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist and professor of medicine, told CNN.

Hospital staffs are emotionally and physically broken from fighting the coronavirus for ten months that seems to only be getting stronger as Americans continue to ignore the virus with such behaviors as congregating at illegal parties, and weddings.

Dr. Megan Ranney, an emergency physician and director of the Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health told CNBC that colleagues across the country are describing situations similar to “Low-income countries” where medical care and equipment must be rationed.

“We’re running out of beds, and we’re also going to run out of staff,” Ranney told CNBC.

“Our health-care system is full even in normal times, so to add an extra 100,000 patients on top of our existing burden of disease and injury is almost unfathomable.”

The situation has become so dire health groups including the Association of American Medical Colleges are urging hospitals to deploy “Crisis Standards of Care,” a set of specific clinical protocols for making allocation decisions under conditions of extreme scarcity and urgent need.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging Americans to cancel their holiday plans and stay home in order to prevent spreading the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, President Trump continues to be missing in action as he’s focused on his desperate and highly unlikely attempts of holding on to the White House. President-elect Joe Biden is trying to help, encouraging lawmakers to come together on a second coronavirus package, but until he’s sworn in Jan. 20, he’s essentially handcuffed.