愛污传媒

Coronavirus

    • The U.S. shattered its average daily COVID-19 case record again. Experts say numbers will keep climbing in the coming weeks

    Share

    Just a day after the U.S. reported its the country shattered that record again Thursday, with an average of 355,990 new infections reported every day in the past week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

    But as the latest surge sweeps across the U.S., and to unprecedented levels for many Americans, experts warn we're still weeks away from a possible turning point.

    "Given the size of our country and the diversity of vaccination versus not vaccination, that it likely will be more than a couple of weeks (until COVID-19 cases peak)," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, told CNBC this week. "Probably by the end of January."

    And roughly 62% of the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Only about 33.4% of fully vaccinated adults have also gotten their booster vaccines -- a shot that experts say is now critical in helping further protect against severe illness fromcirculating.

    The -- the most contagious strain of the virus so far -- is spreading like wildfire across the world, with reporting their highest ever case counts.

    In the U.S., multiple states are seeing their highest COVID-19 case and hospitalization numbers ever, with some governors calling in for help.

    New York state reported more than 74,000 new cases Thursday, according to the, breaking its single-day record of reported infections, while hospitalizations rose by almost 20% since Monday.

    "Get vaccinated, get boosted, mask up, and avoid large indoor public gatherings when possible," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.

    Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Thursday his state also set a case record, with more than 4,970 residents testing positive in a day. Maryland, reporting more than 10,870 new cases Wednesday, beat a state record that was set just days earlier and also reported its highest COVID-19 hospitalization rate this week.

    Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced this week he was deploying 1,250 members of the state's National Guard on the same day the state reported its highest COVID-19 hospitalization number. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also announced the deployment of 200 troops in the same week that six major health systems across the state announced they saw 100% to 200% increases in hospitalizations.

    And things will only get worse before they get better, one expert said.

    "We know that over the next five to six weeks we're going to continue to see transmission of this virus throughout this country, much like a viral blizzard," said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. "With that, we are going to see a perfect storm in our health care settings."

    CHILD COVID-19 HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS REACH RECORD HIGH

    With more virus spreading in the country, and hospitalized -- more than at any other point in the pandemic.

    An average of 378 children were admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 on any given day over the week that ended December 28, according to data published by the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

    That's more than a 66% jump from the previous week and an all-time record, beating the previous one set at the end of August and early September, when an average of 342 children were being admitted to hospitals.

    The vast majority of the children being admitted to hospitals are unvaccinated, Dr. Lee Savio Beers, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told CNN Thursday.

    "At my own hospital, where I work and practice here in DC at Children's National, about half of our hospitalizations ... are children under five," Savio Beers said. "I think it's just so important for us to remember that we're protecting ourselves, but we're also protecting those little ones who aren't yet eligible for vaccination."

    There is no vaccine for children younger than five years old. And while a vaccine for this young group is expected, it likely

    "I'm thinking it's going to be at least a couple of months, possibly longer," Dr. Megan Ranney, a professor of Emergency Medicine and associate dean at the School of Public Health at Brown University, told CNN Thursday.

    "For those parents of the under-five group, an important thing to know is that most of the kids who have been hospitalized with COVID were also co-infected with other things like RSV or flu. So please go get your kid a flu vaccine, make sure that you and the rest of the family are adequately protected and have your kid wear a mask when they're out in public," she added.

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine boosters to children ages 12 to 15 in the coming days, according to a person familiar with the agency's plan.

    When asked this week about boosters for adolescents and younger teens, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told CNN that the FDA "is looking at that right now."

    "Of course the CDC will swiftly follow as soon as we hear from them and I'm hoping to have that in ... the days to weeks ahead," Walensky said.

    The expansion will make a big difference for many families, Ranney told CNN, and will better protect the young population who will be eligible for the extra dose.

    "This is a big step forward, especially with kids going back to school," Ranney said.

    SCHOOLS NAVIGATE REOPENING

    The high case and hospitalization numbers and the rapidly spreading Omicron variant have sparked another round of debate around the country about what the safest return to school looks like.

    "My concern is now schools are going to be opening right at a time when this thing is peaking," Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN. "Then even more kids are likely going to get sick. So we're going to be in for a very rough three or four weeks."

    Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Thursday that despite the climbing cases, the U.S. has the tools and resources and it's "critical that we do what we can" to keep schools open full-time, five days a week.

    "The goal is to make sure our students are safe and our staff are safe but I believe with surveillance testing, with mitigation strategies, our default should be to have our students come back in," Cardona told CNN. "We recognize that there ... are going to be challenges with that and in some places a short-term closure may be necessary in order to safely return students back and have adequate staffing, but we really need to learn how to thrive during this pandemic."

    In Florida, Miami-Dade County Public Schools became one of the first school districts in the state this week to change its COVID-19 policy due to the explosion of cases, now requiring all adults entering its buildings and buses to wear masks when they return after the holiday break, adding that students are also "strongly encouraged" to mask up.

    In Chicago, where , the city's top health expert said schools can be open and safe if the right mitigation strategies and precautions are in place.

    The most important thing parents should do before their children return to school after the holidays is get the whole family vaccinated and make sure children are comfortable wearing a mask, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a Thursday news conference.

    And if children are not feeling well, they should stay at home, the commissioner added.

    "I have no concerns about school being open, but it's really important that where children or adults are having symptoms, we consider that it is Covid until proven otherwise and have kids stay home," Arwady said.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    It's a dream for many Canadians, trying to save up enough money for a down payment on their very first home. That was also the dream for the Esmeralda family, a family of five with two dogs who currently live in a Scarborough apartment building.

    Donations are quickly pouring in for the family of a young woman who was found dead inside a Walmart in Halifax last weekend.

    A haunted house in the Ontario Town of Innisfil is causing a real scare for some people a week before Halloween.

    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    Four people are dead and another is in hospital following a fiery crash in downtown Toronto that happened overnight on Lake Shore Boulevard.

    Canada

    • Donations are quickly pouring in for the family of a young woman who was found dead inside a Walmart in Halifax last weekend.

    • Another local homeowner says trees owned by the City of Regina have caused damaged to his property for years and has resulted in tens of thousands of dollars spent from his own pocket.

    • An investigation into a climate of fear at a Montreal primary school has reignited a debate about secularism in Quebec's education system, with the provincial government pledging to consider new measures to keep religion out of classrooms.

    • Ontario needs more money to properly deliver the national $10-a-day child-care program now and beyond the life of the current agreement, the province's education minister has told the federal minister in a new letter.

    • Legend has it that on a dark evening in 1988, friends of Supt. Joe Atherton quietly buried his body on the site of the old provincial RCMP headquarters in Vancouver.

    • Richard Robert Mantha, accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting several women at a rural property east of Calgary, has fired his legal counsel again.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    • Vancouver Fire Rescue Services received its first shipment of new firefighting gear on Wednesday, advancing the department's plans to reduce cancer risk for its members.

    • A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    • The Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia's Kootenay National Park has undergone a $29-million makeover.

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

    Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

    The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.

    • Legend has it that on a dark evening in 1988, friends of Supt. Joe Atherton quietly buried his body on the site of the old provincial RCMP headquarters in Vancouver.

    • Since the record-breaking atmospheric river hit Metro Vancouver last Friday, 266 drivers have filed ICBC claims for water damage to their vehicles. In some places, flood water was so deep, cars floated away with the drivers still inside, and the engine running.

    • It was a result even the Vancouver Whitecaps hadn't dared to dream of.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Four people are dead and another is in hospital following a fiery crash in downtown Toronto that happened overnight on Lake Shore Boulevard.

    • It's a dream for many Canadians, trying to save up enough money for a down payment on their very first home. That was also the dream for the Esmeralda family, a family of five with two dogs who currently live in a Scarborough apartment building.

    • Richard Robert Mantha, accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting several women at a rural property east of Calgary, has fired his legal counsel again.

    • A proposed inner-city apartment complex development by Anthem Properties is raising concerns for some residents of Hillhurst and West Hillhurst.

    • WEATHER

      WEATHER

      A consistent weather pattern will have Thursday turn out to be very similar to Wednesday.

    • Quebec鈥檚 Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI) is investigating after police in Gatineau, Que. shot and killed a man who allegedly stabbed an officer during an investigation.

    • The City of Ottawa is hoping to learn this week just how many residents in the capital are homeless.

    • Emergency crews responded to a call for a collision involving a pedestrian on Princess Louise Drive at Hauteview Crescent just before 7:30 a.m. Thursday.

    • An investigation into a climate of fear at a Montreal primary school has reignited a debate about secularism in Quebec's education system, with the provincial government pledging to consider new measures to keep religion out of classrooms.

    • WEATHER

      WEATHER

      High temperatures have been trending in Montreal this season, but that could soon come to an end.

    • Montreal Mayor Val茅rie Plante says she will quit municipal politics after serving the final year of her second term, which comes to an end in November 2025.

    • WEATHER

      WEATHER

      Wind looks to be the big weather story today. We should get gusts in the 30-40 km/h range starting late this morning and continuing through to early evening (7p.m.'ish).

    • Public feedback is divided on proposed changes to Jasper council鈥檚 pay, which includes increasing the base salary and eliminating per diems.

    • An Edmonton tow truck operator has been charged after police say he refused to release a vehicle to its owner.

    • Donations are quickly pouring in for the family of a young woman who was found dead inside a Walmart in Halifax last weekend.

    • WorkSafeNB is investigating a workplace fatality that took place in Moncton, N.B., last week.

    • A volunteer treasurer is facing charges after funds went missing from Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston鈥檚 riding.

    • A sentencing hearing for a Manitoba man who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killings of his common-law partner and their two young children is set to begin Thursday.

    • A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

    • A 59-year-old man has died following a crash involving three vehicles that started after a tire fell off a car on the Trans-Canada Highway Wednesday morning in the RM of Tache.

    • Another local homeowner says trees owned by the City of Regina have caused damaged to his property for years and has resulted in tens of thousands of dollars spent from his own pocket.

    • Regina police says officers will provide an update Thursday in its search for the suspect of a homicide that took place in the city during the summer of 2023.

    • Detective Robert Hofstetter examined Erb鈥檚 home after her death and came to several conclusions based on the blood stains he found there.

    • A psychologist who recently assessed Geovanny Villalba-Aleman believes he may have experienced a psychotic break before stabbing three people in a gender studies class at a University of Waterloo.

    • Corrections Service Canada has confirmed a women鈥檚 prison in Kitchener is in lockdown.

    • Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.

    • The race to form government is heating up ahead of the provincial election on Monday. Both the Saskatchewan NDP and the Saskatchewan Party feel they have the momentum as each leader has been focusing on different areas of the province as the campaign trail nears its end.

    • The Saskatoon civic election is drawing closer, with mayoral candidates outlining their visions to keep the city competitive and attract businesses.

    • Sudbury police say a weapons call about a man pointing a gun at a woman in the city鈥檚 West End on Tuesday afternoon led to multiple charges.

    • A 72-year-old driver was charged Wednesday with following two closely after a five-vehicle crash sent several people to hospital in Parry Sound.

    • The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

    • David Musyj said the process of establishing a new board continues, stressing that it took a longtime for the hospital group to get into the situation it's in and it will take time to make things right.

    • A 27-year-old man is miraculously alive after his pickup went over Hawk Cliff near Port Stanley. Fire fighters estimate that from the top to bottom of the embankment is around 270 feet.

    • Under tough cross-examination at the London courthouse on Wednesday, Rachel Johnson, 21, was asked a number of times why there was a delay in calling 911

    • Causing a disturbance at an Orillia shop drew the attention of local police.

    • Stevenson Memorial Hospital is being cautious about visitors during flu season.

    • A 34-year-old motorcyclist has died following a collision in Barrie鈥檚 south end on Tuesday.

    • In the Town of Tecumseh, residents and athletes alike are facing a pickleball problem that may prove costly.

    • About 3,155 threats have been detected by the artificial intelligence-powered security system at Windsor Regional Hospital over the past year.

    • As hospitals elsewhere in Ontario reintroduce mask mandates due to rising respiratory illnesses, Windsor hospitals are taking a more measured approach.

    • Two B.C. RCMP officers won鈥檛 face criminal charges for their use for force that left a man who had been arrested for public intoxication with a concussion, a torn shoulder and a chunk of his hair missing 鈥 but they could face professional discipline.

    • When 16-year-old Kaydence Bourque was struck and killed in a crosswalk on Cedar Hill Cross Road in Saanich in 2021, the community was shaken to the core.

    • A man who fired at least 19 gunshots at an RCMP detachment in northern British Columbia, narrowly missing officers inside, has won a reduced prison sentence from the province's highest court, which ruled the sentencing judge failed to fully weigh the man's mental illness at the time.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • A Lethbridge recovery centre, tasked with helping residents struggling with addictions, is celebrating its first year of success in the community.

    • Graduate students looking to become mental-health professionals will have more opportunities to study in the University of Lethbridge鈥檚 Master of Education Counselling Psychology program.

    • A dazzling light display is making its return to Lethbridge this holiday season.

    • The lack of 24-hour public washrooms has been a long-standing issue in the Sault, especially considering the rise in homelessness.

    • The union representing the fire rangers with the Ministry of Natural Resources says money won鈥檛 fix the systemic problems in the workplace.

    • Rallies by a group called Voices Against Violence took place across the country on Monday, including Sault Ste. Marie.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒