More than 100,000 Americans are hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Dec. 2, a daily record, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project.
The U.S. also hit a daily COVID-19 case record Dec. 2, with 195,695 new infections recorded in one day, according to The COVID Tracking Project.
Five more updates:
1. The CDC has shortened its recommended COVID-19 quarantine period to 10 days for asymptomatic individuals, according to a Dec. 2 update. The recommendation is further reduced to seven days for people without symptoms who also receive a negative test. The CDC maintains the full 14-day quarantine guideline whenever possible and encourages continued symptom monitoring if people end quarantine sooner. The shortened quarantine is an effort to get more people to comply. The agency also released guidance urging Americans not to travel over the holiday season.
2. The next few months could be the "most difficult time in the public health history of this nation," CDC Director Robert Redfield, MD, said, according to The New York Times. In a Dec. 2 address to the Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Dr. Redfield warned that the U.S. is set to face a devastating winter, predicting that total COVID-19 deaths could reach "close to 450,000" by February unless a large percent of Americans take more precautions, like wearing masks.
3. The White House Coronavirus Task Force is urging health officials to sidestep any state and local policies that may hinder mitigation efforts, reports CNN. "If state and local policies do not reflect the seriousness of the current situation, all public health officials must alert the state population directly," the task force said in a report to states this week, according to CNN.
4. The U.S. is sending pharmacies and physician offices paper cards to give Americans as a reminder for getting a second vaccine dose, reports Business Insider. Additional messaging efforts will be up to individual states and pharmacy chains, according to the report.
5. Moderna will soon test its COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 12 to 17, reports The New York Times. The trial will enroll 3,000 children, half of whom will receive two doses of the vaccine four weeks apart. The other half will receive a placebo.
Snapshot of COVID-19 in the U.S.
Cases: 13,926,082
Deaths: 273,848
Recovered: 5,322,128
Counts reflect data available as of 8:10 a.m. CST Dec. 3.
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