New Year arrives with US hitting 20 million Covid-19 cases
SMA NEWS – WASHINGTON
The United States marked the New Year on Friday by passing the extraordinary milestone of 20 million Covid-19 cases as a more infectious variant surfaced in Colorado, California and Florida.
The US has floundered in its efforts to quell the virus, which is spreading rapidly across the country and has already caused over 346,000 deaths — by far the highest national death toll.
Officials sought to speed up vaccinations and a more infectious variant surfaces in Colorado, California and Florida.
Worldwide hopes that Covid-19 vaccines will bring a rapid end to the pandemic in 2021 have been shaken by the slow start to the US vaccination program, which has been beset by logistical problems and overstretched hospitals.
Nearly 2.8 million people in the US have already received their first jabs, but the figure fell well behind the 20 million inoculations that President Donald Trump’s administration promised by the end of 2020.
