Virus surging pushes US hospitals to limits

The deadly virus surging in the United States is pushing hospitals to their limits, according to a Reuters report on Thursday.

The report said a Reuters analysis of public health data showed COVID-19 hospitalizations stood at 132,051, setting a grim record for the fourth day in a row as of late Wednesday night.

Earlier this week, public health officials ordered the suspension of elective surgeries for at least three weeks in more than a dozen southern and central counties, according to the report.

Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania logged their highest single-day death toll on Wednesday.

The latest surge is compounded by the rapid spread of a new, highly transmittable COVID-19 variant that was first detected in the United Kingdom in December and has now spread to several US states, including New York.

The report added that with the strain on stretched healthcare systems increasing across the country, federal and local officials announced steps to speed the sluggish pace of inoculating eligible residents with two authorized coronavirus vaccines.