Coronavirus Report: December 21

       The United States is experiencing another dramatic upsurge in new COVID-19 infections and related deaths. On Wednesday, December 16, we recorded 3,611 COVID-19 deaths in a single day, the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. Two days later, on Friday December 18, we recorded 251,000 new infections in a single day. The daily average of new infections and deaths will rise as we go through the holiday periods and the winter season. Vaccines have arrived but mass inoculations will begin only after the spring of 2021. Moreover, the current vaccines are designed to prevent the onset of illness if someone becomes infected. They will not treat an already existing COVID-19 infection. Until vaccines are universally available, disease mitigation efforts are our best defense against infection and illness. […]