Hospitals See Record Number of COVID-19 Patients as Cases Climb

NBC News reports that a record number of people have been hospitalized with COVID-19, and forecasts indicate that the United States could see 20 million cases by Christmas if current infection rates persist. The number of new cases for the three weeks ending Nov. 9 nearly doubled to 1.9 million from the previous 21-day count of 1.07 million. The nation could have 13.6 million cases by Nov. 30 and 19.9 million by Dec. 21 if that rate continues. The COVID Tracking Project also estimates that U.S. hospitalizations have reached an all-time high, with 61,964 on Nov. 10. Michael Osterholm with the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy said pandemic fatigue and ire over having to wear masks and practice social distancing, along with colder weather driving people indoors, have created a "perfect storm" for new cases. Although leading U.S. infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci called a Pfizer vaccine for the virus "extraordinary," it will not become available until the end of December. Osterholm warned that until then, the country should prepare for the "darkest weeks of this pandemic for us."