As the world welcomes the new year, the coronavirus pandemic continues to increase, and authorities have announced that a variant of the virus first discovered in the United Kingdom has appeared in several areas in the United States.
On the last day of 2020, the US surpassed 20 million confirmed cases of coronavirus. The country has also seen more than 345,000 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to a version of NBC News.
Here are the latest coronavirus updates from the United States and elsewhere:
California kills 585 virus deaths in one day
California started the new year by reporting a record 585 coronavirus deaths in a single day.
The state Department of Public Health said Friday that more than 47,000 new confirmed cases have been reported, bringing the total to more than 2.29 million.
Hospitals in the state ended the year on a ‘disaster’, a health official said as the pandemic drove deaths and illnesses to staggering levels, and some medical centers scrambled to provide oxygen for critically ill patients.
Getty Images A sign with COVID-19 safety guidelines will be displayed on Thursday, December 17, 2020 at Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort in Newport Beach, CA. (Photo by Paul Bersebach / MediaNews Group / Orange County Register via Getty Images)
Gavin Newsom’s government office announced Friday that California will begin working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate and upgrade outdated oxygen delivery systems at six Los Angeles hospitals.
The collaboration comes as older hospitals maintain oxygen pressure in the aging infrastructure, and some have struggled to locate additional oxygen tanks for discharged patients to take home.
California became the third state to exceed 25,000 COVID-19 deaths since the onset of the pandemic this week.
December was the deadliest and most contagious month since the onset of the US pandemic
The United States ended 2020 with the deadliest and most contagious month since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, while also surpassing 20 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, NBC News reports.
More than 77,000 people lost their lives to COVID-19 in December, while 6.4 million contracted the virus amid the emergence of a new virus variant and delayed attempts to get people vaccinated. The second deadliest month was April 2020 with more than 58,000 deaths.
Funeral set for elected US Congressman who contracted COVID-19
Funeral services will be held Saturday for a select Louisiana congressman who died of COVID-19 complications. Republican Luke Letlow passed away Tuesday. He was 41 and his oath was scheduled for Sunday.
His funeral will be at North Monroe Baptist Church, reports The News-Star.
The family said all COVID-19 restrictions would be followed and that masks would be needed. North Monroe Baptist will stream the 14:00 service on its social media platforms.
Letlow is survived by his wife, Julia Letlow, and their children, Jeremiah (3) and Jacqueline (1).
Gov. John Bel Edwards said he would order flags flown at half-staff on Saturday.
Elected Congressman Luke Letlow, R-La., Died at the age of 41 from coronavirus complications.
West Virginia health officials mistakenly gave 42 people Regeneron IV COVID treatment instead of vaccination shot
The dozens of people in West Virginia mistakenly received Regeneron’s COVID-19 antibody treatment instead of the Modern vaccine, the West Virginia National Guard announced Thursday.
The state’s national guard said 42 people received the treatment, which is administered intravenously, at a vaccination clinic staffed by the Boone County Department of Health, CNBC reported. The national guard said he heard of the mistake on Wednesday.
Everyone who received the antibody treatment instead of the vaccine, which is given via a shot in the arm, was contacted, Julie Miller, an administrator at Boone’s health department, told CNBC in an email. She added that “we do not believe there is a risk of harm.”
Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment, which must be administered with an IV drop, is considered a promising treatment for COVID-19 – especially if it is administered early in the course of the infection. But the confusion in West Virginia is just one example of confusion in the rush to spread the vaccine among millions of people. Implementation was slower than expected and characterized by logistical challenges.
“It was determined that it was an isolated incident,” Miller said. “Today, the COVID-19 vaccine is being offered to all concerned.”
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More cases of virus variants reported in Southern California
San Diego County has reported three more cases of a new and more contagious coronavirus strain, the country announced Thursday. The news comes one day after the country reported its first case, and the second in the US, of the variant, reports NBC San Diego.
The new cases of the British strain were found in men, two in their 40s and one in his 50s. Contact detection shows that two men did not travel outside the country, while the third case has yet to be fully investigated. None of the men had a known interaction with each other.
The four individuals who tested positive for the B.1.1.7. tribe live in La Mesa, Mission Beach, Otay Mesa and the Carmel Mountain / Rancho Bernardo area, the province said.
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