The White House Coronavirus Task Force is gearing up to hold their first briefing since July. Vice President Mike Pence will meet with the task force at 2:30 p.m. and the briefing will be held shortly thereafter. It is unclear if President Donald Trump will attend the briefing as he has no public events scheduled for the day.
The news comes the country experiences as a severe uptick in COVID-19 cases. On Tuesday, the country reached a record-high 1,707 deaths. That is the equivalent of one American dying from COVID-19 per minute. Adding on, America has recorded more than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases in a single day five times this month. Prior to November, the country had never recorded more than 100,000 COVID-19 cases in a single day ever.
In response to the uptick in COVID-19 cases, a number of states and cities have increased safety precautions. New York City public schools have shutdown in-person activities and reports suggest indoor dining and gyms may be next to go. Elsewhere, Los Angeles has instituted a curfew and city officials may shutdown outdoor dining if cases continue to rise.
In the midst of the recent surge, researchers have continued to develop vaccines. Pfizer, BionNTech and Moderna have all wowed medical professionals with incredibly successful vaccine trials. The trio is expected to apply for an emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for their vaccines. If approved, Americans could begin receiving vaccines before the end of the year.
Despite the rapid progression of vaccines, researchers still believe the worst is yet to come. In a worse case scenario, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has projected that America's coronavirus death toll could near 600,000 by March. In the most likely scenario, IHME projects that the country will endure 370,000 total deaths by March.
Vice President Mike Pence and his colleagues will address the current status of the pandemic and the future health of the country at 4 p.m. from James S. Brady Press Briefing Room in Washington, D.C.
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