Americans warned Covid risk to country at ‘historic high’

First vaccine from Pfizer to begin distribution on 15 December with Moderna vaccine to follow seven days later

The US is in a “dangerous place” and the risk of Covid-19 to Americans is at a historic high due to limited hospital capacity, according to the latest White House coronavirus task force report.

The report, sent to the states and first reported by NBC News, says public health authorities should circumvent state and local policies and “alert the state population directly” if current advice does not reflect the seriousness of the situation.

"It must be made clear that if you are over 65 or have significant health conditions, you should not enter any indoor public spaces where anyone is unmasked due to the immediate risk to your health; you should have groceries and medications delivered,” it says.

“If you are under 40, you need to assume you became infected during the Thanksgiving period if you gathered beyond your immediate household."

The report says the number of new cases is more than 180,000 per day compared to fewer than 25,000 cases a day before the summer surge, while Covid-19 inpatients were now at 90,000 compared to 30,000 before summer.

It says state mitigation efforts remain inadequate and the “Thanksgiving surge” would result in sustained transmission with a prolonged time to peak of more than seven weeks – just as the country rolls through the Christmas/New Year holiday period.

“We are in a very dangerous place due to the current, extremely high Covid baseline and limited hospital capacity,” the reports says. “All public health officials must alert the state population directly.”

It comes as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has reduced its quarantine guidelines by four days, down from 14 to 10, following exposure to Covid-19.

A CDC advisory committee, meanwhile, has recommended the Covid-19 vaccines should first go to frontline health providers and support personnel, as well as residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

The Pfizer vaccine is reported to be the first distributed from 15 December while the Moderna vaccine will follow a week later on 22 December, according to Operation Warp Speed documents obtained by CNN.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday the first batch will be 170,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine delivered to New York by 15 December, according to News 4 Buffalo.

The distribution dates are based on the US Food and Drug Administration authorizing the Pfizer vaccine for use between 11 December and 14 December, and the Moderna vaccine from 18-21 December, according to the Operation Warp Speed document.