Daily COVID-19 deaths hit new high

On average, more than 1,300 Americans are dying of the coronavirus each day, and more than 83,000 were hospitalized on Sunday. That’s the highest daily death count since late May. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., became the second senator and eighth member of Congress to announce he tested positive for the virus this week. He said Friday he was isolating at home with “very mild symptoms.” Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son, also tested positive last week and was quarantining but said he did not have any symptoms.

How are those vaccines coming along? Pfizer applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization on Friday. That could mean people could start getting the shot next month, though widespread distribution could still take months. Healthcare workers and other high-risk groups would likely be at the top of the list to get the vaccine. On Saturday, the FDA authorized the emergency use of a Regeneron Pharmaceuticals antibody drug that President Donald Trump received when he became sick with the virus last month. The medication is designed to prevent severe illness in people with mild to moderate COVID-19.

Dig deeper: Read Katie Gaultney’s report about how healthcare workers are coping with the recent surge in cases.

Editor’s note: WORLD has updated this report since its initial posting.