As of Thursday, more than 48 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been distributed in the U.S., and over 21 million Americans have received at least one or more doses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the New York Times, new COVID-19 cases have dropped 35 percent over the past three weeks in the U.S.

January has already become the country’s deadliest month yet, almost 80,000 ​U.S. deaths reported, and there are still a handful of days left.

As new COVID-19 variants continue to spread in the U.S., the CDC projects another 84,000 Americans will die from COVID-19 over the next three weeks.

“The variants that have been identified recently seem to spread more easily,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday. “They’re more transmissible, which can lead to increased number of cases and increased stress on our already overtaxed system.”

On Thursday, the U.S. state of South Carolina has reported two cases of the COVID-19 strain first identified in South Africa indicating that the new, more transmissible variant, has reached the United States.

Meanwhile, health officials suggested people should wear double masks for more protection against the virus.

“So if you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective,” White House advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview with NBC News’ TODAY. “That’s the reason why you see people either double masking or doing a version of an N95.”

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