The United States hit a new record number of coronavirus cases reported in a single day on Wednesday with a tally of more than 145,800, according to a count by the Washington Post.
The total has quickly surpassed what once seemed like an unbelievable milestone when just last week the United States began reporting more than 100,000 new coronavirus infections for a single day for the first time.
Wednesday’s somber tally shatters previous records — making it the sixth record-breaker in just eight days. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals has also reached a new high — topping 65,000 for the first time since the pandemic began, according to the Post’s data tracker. That figure has doubled in little over a month as the pandemic appears to be accelerating.
The staggering figures follow news of a promising COVID-19 vaccine that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has touted as 90% effective.
President Donald Trump, who has taken a resigned approach to combating the virus, attacked the Food and Drug Administration for the timing of the disclosure earlier this week.
Refreshing an old conspiracy theory, he claimed on Monday that the announcement, which came roughly one week after Election Day, proves the “medical deep state” had purposefully tried to damage his bid for reelection by delaying disclosure about the potential vaccine.
A White House official told the Post that Trump demanded health secretary Alex Azar to “get to the bottom” of what he has claimed to be a conspiracy between the FDA and Pfizer.
President Trump’s most recent attack on the FDA has raised doubts about whether the agency’s top official, Stephen Hahn, will make it to January when the Biden administration takes the reins. The President’s recent purges in other departments have reinforced a message that Trump is apt to vengefully replace those he sees as defiant or whom he accuses of conspiring against him.
