New infections and deaths due to Covid-19 in the US have increased to a record

The new record number of infections and deaths brings the total number of infections in the US to 14,535,196 and deaths to 282,929, as of the evening of December 3.

California’s governor announced he will impose some of the country’s strictest stay-at-home orders in the coming days, as hospital intensive care units (ICUs) are expected to reach full capacity.

A case hospitalized for Covid-19 in the US in March. Photo: Reuters

Governor Gavin Newsom said the ICU capacity of four regions, including Southern California, is on track to reach 15% this week, while the San Francisco Bay area is expected to reach this level in mid to late December.

The stay-at-home order will take effect after 48 hours’ notice and remain in place for at least three weeks, until the ICU occupancy threshold falls below 15%.

`If we don’t act now, the hospital system will be overwhelmed. If we don’t act now, the death rate will go up,` Newson said.

Under the new ban, Californians will have to stay home and avoid traveling unless going out to perform approved activities such as buying necessities, getting medical care, walking dogs and exercising outdoors.

`If there isn’t any support for people who have lost their jobs in the past 10 months, I think this ban will have very serious consequences,` said Cruz Resendiz, 32, who lives in West Hollywood.

Newsom emphasized that the new measure, although harsh, is only temporary, because vaccines from some pharmaceutical companies are about to be approved.

Local and state governments across the United States have ordered a series of restrictions on socio-economic activities, hoping to reduce the resurgence of Covid-19 after a lull in the summer.

The public health crisis is taking a more serious turn after a week of Thanksgiving celebrations, when millions of Americans despite warnings still travel and gather in large groups.

The average global death toll from Covid-19 has been 10,000 per day over the past week, and the total number of deaths since the outbreak is 1.5 million.

Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said earlier this week that December, January and February could be `the most difficult time in public health history.`

`By February, we will likely see nearly 450,000 Americans die from this virus,` he said.

In addition to loss of life, the nationwide health care system also faces the prospect of overloading resources and personnel to the point of collapse.

In the Midwest, Governor Mike DeWine said on December 3 that hospitals in Ohio `are not only still in crisis but the crisis is worse`, as the state recorded the 5th highest number of infections.