The US Just Hit a Record 7-Day Average of New Covid-19 Cases. And The Impacts of Thanksgiving Will Only Make Things Worse, Experts Warn

by TempSafe Tech

Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are at or near record-high levels nationwide, and officials expect the US will soon bear the full brunt of another surge of infections fueled by Thanksgiving gatherings.

"We have not yet seen the full effect of a potential surge upon a surge," Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN Friday night. "The travel associated with Thanksgiving, the congregating at family and social gatherings with people indoors, sometimes without masks. So that may peak two to three weeks from now."

And that surge will come right as travel and social gatherings will likely pick up again for the Christmas holiday. "So, we're really very concerned," Fauci said.

As of Friday the US averaged 182,633 daily new cases over the last week -- a record high for the country, according to Johns Hopkins University data. And the average number of daily Covid-19 deaths across a week hit 2,010 on Friday, the highest its been since April.

The US recorded 227,885 cases on Friday alone, the highest one-day count of the pandemic.

There is good news: US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccine advisers are scheduled to meet to discuss Pfizer's and Moderna's applications for emergency use authorization (EUA) of their Covid-19 vaccines, which some state leaders say they're expecting to get the first doses of in the coming weeks.

But health officials warn that while some Americans may receive a vaccine by the end of the year, the country likely won't see any meaningful impacts until late spring. In the meantime, experts project an incredibly challenging next few months.

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