Physicians Fear ‘Darkest Days of Modern American Medical History’ Coming After Thanksgiving

With millions of Americans traveling for the Thanksgiving weekend, public health experts are terrified about what’s about to come. The holiday season couldn’t really have come at a worse time—the U.S. reported 2,046 deaths Wednesday, the highest one-day coronavirus death toll since early May, and the country also hit a new daily record of 89,954 people currently hospitalized for COVID-19. Dr. Joseph Varon, chief of staff at Houston’s United Memorial Medical Center, told CNN: “My concerns for the next six to 12 weeks is that if we don't do things right, America is going to see the darkest days in modern American medical history.” Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said: “We have to understand we're in a very dangerous place. People have to stop swapping air.”