STR / AFP Jeffrey Basinger/Newsday via Getty Images
When the coronavirus was discovered in Wuhan, China, it may have seemed like a distant threat. But very quickly, the tiny pathogen made its way around the world, bringing sickness and death wherever it went.
In America, the first known Covid-19 fatality occurred on February 6, 2020. From there, the wave of daily deaths started rising.
By the end of May 2020, the virus had taken 100,000 lives, mostly in the Northeast and major cities.
Four months later, the death toll surpassed 200,000.
Less than three months later, by mid-December, more than 300,000 people had died.
With the virus spreading all over the US, it took only 36 more days to reach 400,000 deaths. January was the deadliest month so far.
African countries may suffer in the global rush for vaccines because they are unable to gather statistics that reveal the true extent of the spread of Covid among their populations, epidemiologists and other experts fear. According to data from Johns Hopkins university, there have been 3.7m confirmed cases in Africa, and the landmark figure of 100,000 confirmed deaths is likely to be reached within days. A series of studies has raised fears that.
A total of 71,844 people tested positive Sunday, the COVID Tracking Project said
In January daily cases were reaching 225,000; the national peak was 314,093
A total of 67,023 people are currently hospitalized with virus symptoms
More than 130,000 were hospitalized with the virus last month
But former director of the CDC Tom Frieden told CNN Sunday: I don’t think the vaccine is having much of an impact at all on case rates
He said staying apart, wearing masks, not traveling, not mixing is the real help
It comes as restaurants in New York were once again able to offer indoor dining
âThereâs light at the end of the tunnelâ for life to return to something like normal
By David Abel Globe Staff,Updated February 13, 2021, 3:10 p.m.
Email to a Friend
A masked pedestrian walked through Downtown Crossing in January. Health officials are advising the public to continue wearing masks, even well after theyâve been vaccinated.Lane Turner/Globe Staff
Hereâs the rosy scenario: By Labor Day, if all goes well, nearly every adult in the United States who wants a COVID-19 vaccine will have received one. Deaths and hospitalizations from the coronavirus will have fallen sharply; transmission will have plummeted as the population reaches herd immunity. Everything from schools to restaurants will have fully reopened, allowing for something approximating pre-pandemic life to resume.