Someone died from Covid-19 every 33 seconds in US last week

This article is more than 12 months old

Dec 23, 2020 06:00 am

WASHINGTON: In the US last week, someone died from Covid-19 every 33 seconds.

The disease claimed more than 18,000 lives in the seven days up to Dec 20, up 6.7 per cent from the week before, to hit another record high, according to a Reuters analysis of state and county reports.

Despite pleas by health officials not to travel during the holiday season, 3.2 million people were screened at US airports on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Health officials are worried that a surge in infections from holiday gatherings could overwhelm hospitals, some of which are already at capacity after Thanksgiving celebrations.

And while the US has begun to administer two new vaccines, it may be months before the inoculations put a dent in the coronavirus outbreak. - REUTERS