Coronavirus updates: US will soon have 'half a million' deaths, incoming CDC chief says
The U.S. is forecast to have almost 500,000 COVID-19 deaths by mid-February.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 94.2 million people worldwide and killed over 2 million of them, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
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US could see up to 477,000 COVID-19 deaths by Feb. 6
This week’s national ensemble forecast released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that 16,200 to 29,600 more Americans will likely die from COVID-19 in the week ending Feb. 2.
The national ensemble estimates a total of 440,000 to 477,000 deaths from the disease will be reported nationwide by that date.
Nearly all US metro areas 'in full resurgence': White House task force
Nearly all U.S. metro areas with over 500,000 people are in "full resurgence" of COVID-19, the White House coronavirus task force said in its latest report, obtained by ABC News Wednesday.
In the report, dated Jan. 10, the task force said the fall/winter surge has had nearly twice the rate of rise in COVID-19 cases as the spring and summer surges.
Several states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, New Mexico and South Carolina, are also in "full pandemic resurgence," the report stated.
Only "aggressive mitigation" can "match a more aggressive virus," and Americans must take more precautions, "moving beyond what worked in the summer to more layered mitigation," the report stated.
The task force recommended uniform mask implementation and "strict physical distancing." Without that, "epidemics could quickly worsen as more transmissible variants spread and become predominant," it warned.
ABC News' Josh Margolin and Brian Hartman contributed to this report.
US daily deaths from COVID-19 surpass 4,000 for 2nd straight day
The United States registered an additional 4,022 deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, according to data collected by The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the U.S. outbreak.
That marks the second day in a row that the country's daily COVID-19 death toll crossed 4,000, and the third time since Jan. 7, according to The COVID Tracking Project.
The seven-day average of COVID-19 deaths is up by 10% or more in 26 U.S. states as of Wednesday, compared to the previous week, according to The COVID Tracking Project.
The U.S. also confirmed 219,090 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, while 130,383 people remained hospitalized with the disease, according to The COVID Tracking Project.
Mississippi runs out of COVID-19 vaccine supply
Mississippi has allotted its entire supply of COVID-19 vaccines and doesn't expect more doses until mid-February, the state health department announced Wednesday.
"Neither the county health department drive-through sites, nor the [University of Mississippi Medical Center] vaccine scheduling website was designed to accommodate the monumental surge we are currently experiencing," the Mississippi State Department of Health said in a statement. "At this time, we have no additional vaccine, and every appointment is tied to an actual vaccination."
New appointments are expected to resume after an anticipated vaccine resupply in mid-February, the department said.
On Tuesday, the state opened vaccine eligibility to people ages 65 and older and those with certain chronic health conditions, which led to an influx of calls to the state's COVID-19 hotline, officials said. Previously, vaccinations were prioritized for health care workers, long-term care residents and those over the age of 75.
"We decided to open vaccines to many more people. We knew it would cause a rush, but believe it is more fair than having government arbitrarily limit access," Gov. Tate Reeves said on Twitter Wednesday evening.
As of Tuesday, the state had administered 62,744 vaccinations over the last four weeks, Reeves said during a press briefing.
ABC News' Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
100M doses in 100 days 'quite feasible': Fauci
Dr. Anthony Fauci called President-elect Joe Biden's promise to administer 100 million COVID-19 shots in the first 100 days of his term "quite feasible" during an interview with NBC's "Today" show Friday. He said he hopes the United States can get to 70% or 80% vaccination within several months.
Part of the distribution holdup, according to Fauci, has been careful prioritization by states. "If you have a dose, give it," he urged states. "Don't be so rigid as to those early designations."
Reaching those goals, however, depends on vaccine uptake. "When a vaccine becomes available, get vaccinated,” Fauci pleaded with the public.
-ABC News' Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.