The US recorded 3,400 COVID-19 related deaths Wednesday, marking a new daily high, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
The previous record was set Dec. 9 at 3,054, according to the project. There are currently 113,069 people hospitalized due to the virus, which also sets a new high mark. The numbers were based on state reporting totals, which documented 231,000 cases and 1.8 million tests.
Our daily update is published. States reported 1.8 million tests, 231k cases, and a record 3,400 deaths. There are 113,069 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, a new record for hospitalizations. pic.twitter.com/UBkhbQa909
— The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) December 17, 2020
The first round of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine became available to select medical workers and other vulnerable populations Monday. The Trump administration’s goal is to vaccinate roughly 20 million people by the end of December.
Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNBC’s Meg Tirrell if enough people get vaccinated, the U.S. could begin returning to normal by Fall 2021. But to achieve this, Fauci said, 75% to 85% of Americans would need to be vaccinated. (RELATED: US Could Reach ‘Herd Immunity’ By Spring, Fauci Says)
“If we can get the overwhelming proportion of the population vaccinated by let’s say the end of the second, the beginning of the third quarter – by the time we get into mid-fall of 2021, we can be approaching some level of normality,” Fauci said.
“That would be able to protect even the vulnerables who have not been vaccinated, or those in which the vaccine has not been effective,” Fauci continued.
More than 307,000 people have died in the U.S. due to COVID-19, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.