Over 300,000 American Lives Lost Same Day Vaccine Rollout Begins

The first Americans began receiving the newly authorized coronavirus vaccine the same day the nation recorded over 300,000 deaths. Less than a year after the Covid-19 outbreak in the U.S. began, the first vaccine doses were delivered and distributed across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. FDA emergency use approval of the Moderna vaccine is also on track and could happen as early as this week. While these are major achievements, the vaccine rollout will have little effect on the deadly winter surge currently being witnessed nationwide. Since the first known death reported on February 6th, an average of around 961 people have died a day. But a large portion of those deaths occurred in the past month, bringing this week’s average toll to over 2,400 people a day, or one Covid-related death every 40 seconds. Health experts say it’s imperative to continue wearing masks and practice social distancing as cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to rapidly accelerate.