The United States witnessed the worst day since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, reporting on Wednesday the highest number of daily cases, deaths and total hospitalizations ever recorded.
As per the latest update published by the COVID Tracking Project on Wednesday, a total of 113,069 patients are currently admitted in U.S. hospitals with the deadly disease. This is the 15th consecutive day that the country has surpassed 100,000 hospitalizations.
21,933 of the COVID patients in the country are admitted in the ICU, and 7,782 others are on a ventilator, according to the U.S. collaborative volunteer-run effort to track the pandemic.
Wednesday, the national COVID test positivity rate significantly increased to 16.4 percent, higher than the 7-day average of 13.7 percent.
With 3,652 additional fatalities reported in the last 24 hours, the total U.S. death toll from the deadly disease rose to 307,501, as per the latest data from the Johns Hopkins University. This is the highest daily death toll since the beginning of the pandemic.
The 7-day average for deaths in the South is at an all-time high. The region reported 1,053 deaths on Wednesday, a new single-day record.
During the same period, 255,005 new cases were reported across the country, taking the total number of patients infected with the disease to 16,979,777. This is the first time that new cases crossed the 250,000 mark in the U.S.
With a staggering 53,711 cases on Wednesday, California reported the highest single-day case count by any state in the country.
As COVID-19 vaccinations roll out across the U.S., Long Term Care facilities, where positive cases continue to surge, are badly in need of vaccines.
Vaccines have the potential to prevent future COVID-19 outbreaks in these high-risk populations, but for many LTC residents and workers, they will come too late, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
Pennsylvania reported nearly 500 LTC deaths last week, an increase of 55 percent from the previous week, it said on Twitter.
Both long-term care cases and deaths increased the most since late May. A staggering 5,094 deaths and 61,097 cases last week made it one of the most devastating weeks for LTC residents and staff yet.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a new emergency use authorization, or EUA, for Abbot Diagnostics' Covid-19 home test Wednesday. The authorization is for prescription use.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine could receive EUA on Thursday.
After negotiations Wednesday, Republican and Democratic Congressional leaders said they were making progress in drafting a COVID stimulus package that could break a months-long stalemate.
Leaders "made major headway toward hammering out a targeted pandemic relief package that would be able to pass both chambers with bipartisan majorities," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said after the talks.
The Elysée Palace said in a statement that French President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to go in quarantine for seven days.
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