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EXPERTS fear Thanksgiving will be the "mother of all superspreader events" after the CDC warned the vast majority of reported Covid-19 infections are missed.

At least 53 million people contracted the deadly bug by September but the agency now estimates that eight infections went unreported for every one caught.

Medics treat a Covid-19 patient in the ICU at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, TX, on November 10
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Medics treat a Covid-19 patient in the ICU at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, TX, on November 10Credit: Getty Images - Getty
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7 Passengers arrive at a United gate at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in San Francisco, USA, 25 November 2020
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7 Passengers arrive at a United gate at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in San Francisco, USA, 25 November 2020Credit: EPA

Former White House medical team adviser Dr Jonathan Reiner warned that Thanksgiving could lead to a massive surge in infections.

"It's potentially the mother of all superspreader events," Reiner told as , , , , , , , and  reported record numbers of deaths on Tuesday.

"People [are] leaving from every airport in the , and carrying virus with them,” he said, citing the Sturgis motorcycle rally in this summer as an example.


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His comments come as AAA forecasts estimate that 6.3 million Americans will have flown in the days before and after Thanksgiving – even though officials have urged people to keep celebrations small and at home.

As the country battles this , the daily death toll on Wednesday surged to 2,284 in the , according to – the highest level since May 7.

This is the second day in a row that more than 2,000 Americans have died; hospitalizations also reached single day record of 89,954 with a seven-day average of 84,840.

Officials and experts have urged people to keep gatherings small
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Officials and experts have urged people to keep gatherings small Credit: Alamy Live News
Medical analysts now fear a Covid surge stemming from the Thanksgiving travel
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Medical analysts now fear a Covid surge stemming from the Thanksgiving travel Credit: Getty Images - Getty
People have been urged to stay home this holiday season – but millions are traveling
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People have been urged to stay home this holiday season – but millions are traveling Credit: EPA

This disturbing news emerged after the CDC revealed that a whopping 53 million people had contracted the virus two months ago – just under eight times the confirmed cases reported at the time.

The agency had previously estimated that one of every 10 infections were being missed

Their more recent calculation is supposed to paint a more accurate picture of how many people actually contracted the deadly virus since the pandemic hit the

Of the 53 million estimated infections, around 45 million were sick at some point while about 2.4 million patients were hospitalized.

On November 24, the CDC reported 12,498,734 cases of the new coronavirus – an uptick of 165,282 from its previous count.

An Alaska Airlines passenger receives a rapid test after his flight landed at Portland International Airport on November 25
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An Alaska Airlines passenger receives a rapid test after his flight landed at Portland International Airport on November 25Credit: Getty Images - Getty
Healthcare personnel prepare to discharge a patient who had been quarantining after a possible exposure to the coronavirus in Lakin, Kansas on November 19
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Healthcare personnel prepare to discharge a patient who had been quarantining after a possible exposure to the coronavirus in Lakin, Kansas on November 19Credit: Reuters
PPE-clad medics transport an El Paso patient into the hospital during a Covid surge
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PPE-clad medics transport an El Paso patient into the hospital during a Covid surgeCredit: Getty Images - Getty

Reuters reported that the number of deaths had risen by 1,989 to 259,005.

This was the CDC tally as of 4pm ET on November 24 versus its previous report a day earlier.

America has now suffered its deadliest day since May with more than 2,100 daily coronavirus deaths amid fears of the "time-bomb" spiral.

Across the US, hospitals have been overwhelmed with  patients – .

The death toll reached 2,157 on Tuesday – one person every 40 seconds – with another 170,000 people infected.

Experts worry those numbers could explode with more than six million Americans disregarding official warnings and traveling for Thursday’s Thanksgiving holiday.

Travelers hug after departing a flight at the airport in Denver, Colorado, U.S., November 24, 2020
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Travelers hug after departing a flight at the airport in Denver, Colorado, U.S., November 24, 2020 Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Medical staff examine a Covid-19 patient in Houston, Texas
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Medical staff examine a Covid-19 patient in Houston, TexasCredit: Getty Images - Getty
The vast majority of Covid cases went undetected, according to the CDC
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The vast majority of Covid cases went undetected, according to the CDCCredit: AFP or licensors

Officials have pleaded with families to keep holiday gatherings small as the contagion escalates around the country.

The deadliest day in more than six months was still short of the record of 2,806 deaths on April 14, according to a Reuters tally of official data.

That one-day figure is sometimes reported higher due to a backlog of deaths that were not compiled until April 14.

With hospitalizations for Covid-19 reaching a record high of 87,000 in on Tuesday, the nation’s leading infectious diseases official urged people to keep celebrations as small as possible.

A patient suffering from Covid is placed in another room of an intensive care unit
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A patient suffering from Covid is placed in another room of an intensive care unitCredit: Getty Images - Getty
Officials have pleaded with families to keep holiday gatherings small as the contagion escalates around the country
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Officials have pleaded with families to keep holiday gatherings small as the contagion escalates around the countryCredit: Reuters
 US hospitalizations for COVID-19 reached a record high of 87,000 on Tuesday
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US hospitalizations for COVID-19 reached a record high of 87,000 on TuesdayCredit: Reuters

 stressed the need to “hang in there a bit longer” on wearing masks, maintaining distance and avoiding crowds – especially indoors.

“If we do those things, we’re going to get through it. So that’s my final plea before the holiday,” he said during an interview on Good Morning America.

On Tuesday, shocking pics showed bodies in in hard-hit this week.

Mobile morgues were seen at the El Paso County Medical Examiner's Office on Monday as the number of cases across the country totaled more than 12 million.

Staffers at the medical examiner's office were photographed moving bodies in bags labeled "Covid" in what appears to be written in marker.

El Paso County Medical Examiner's Office staff roll bodies that are in bags labeled 'Covid' from refrigerated trailers into the morgue office
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El Paso County Medical Examiner's Office staff roll bodies that are in bags labeled 'Covid' from refrigerated trailers into the morgue officeCredit: Reuters
Medics were seen moving bodies into the morgue on November 23
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Medics were seen moving bodies into the morgue on November 23Credit: Reuters
Fauci has urged Americans to 'hang in there' as contagion rages
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Fauci has urged Americans to 'hang in there' as contagion ragesCredit: Reuters

The body bags were set to be moved from the refrigerated trailers to the morgue office.

The photos are similar to pictures taken in earlier this when hundreds of bodies were seen in freezer trucks in Brooklyn.

The CDC announced on Tuesday that it is .

Officials are reportedly set to publish new guidelines lowering the recommended period from 14 days to between seven and ten days.

Speaking to the , Dr Henry Walke, the CDC's incident manager for Covid-19 response, said research suggested the change could be introduced safely.

Dr Henry Walke, the CDC's incident manager for Covid-19 response, said testing will help to shorten the quarantine period
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Dr Henry Walke, the CDC's incident manager for Covid-19 response, said testing will help to shorten the quarantine periodCredit: Reuters
With US hospitalizations reaching a record high on Tuesday, infectious disease officials urge people to keep Thanksgiving gatherings as small as possible
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With US hospitalizations reaching a record high on Tuesday, infectious disease officials urge people to keep Thanksgiving gatherings as small as possibleCredit: Getty Images - Getty
Photo of a New Yorker wearing a face shield and a face mask
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Photo of a New Yorker wearing a face shield and a face maskCredit: Alamy Live News

"We do think that the work that we've done, and some of the studies we have and the modeling data that we have, shows that we can – with testing – shorten quarantines," he said.

He added that, if a person's swab test is negative, then "their probability of going on and developing an infection after that is pretty low".

Help may also be coming with vaccines showing promise.

Officials from the government’s "Operation Warp Speed" program told reporters on Tuesday they plan to release 6.4 million Covid-19 vaccine doses nationwide in an initial distribution.

This will happen after the first one is cleared by regulators for emergency use, which could happen as soon as December 10.

If all goes well, 40 million doses will be distributed by the end of the year, they said.

If we do those things, we’re going to get through it. So that’s my final plea before the holiday.

Anthony Fauci

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruling on the Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer vaccine is expected on December 10.

at fighting the deadly virus in infected volunteers – and Fauci said it may also be rolled out next month, pending FDA approval.

Both Pfizer and Moderna's company bosses plan to submit their to the regulators in the US for emergency authorization “within days” before sharing them with others around the world.

Pfizer chairman, Dr Albert Bourla said: “The study results mark an important step in this historic eight-month journey to bring forward a vaccine capable of helping to end this devastating pandemic.

“We continue to move at the speed of science to compile all the data collected thus far and share with regulators around the world.”

President-elect has promised to make fighting the pandemic his top priority upon taking office on January 20.

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Fauci told C-SPAN on Wednesday that he had been in contact with Biden’s staff and was willing to serve on any task force to beat the virus.

made a one-minute appearance in briefing room on Tuesday to talk about the stock market after touting his involvement in the vaccine rollout last week.

Millions of Americans will be flying this week
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Millions of Americans will be flying this week Credit: Reuters
The AAA forecast 6.3 million people will have flown in the days before and after Thanksgiving
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The AAA forecast 6.3 million people will have flown in the days before and after ThanksgivingCredit: AP:Associated Press
Biden said he would make the Covid fight a top priority when he takes office
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Biden said he would make the Covid fight a top priority when he takes officeCredit: Reuters
Trump touted his involvement in the vaccine rollout last week
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Trump touted his involvement in the vaccine rollout last week
New York City getting ready for their anual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade
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New York City getting ready for their anual Macy's Thanksgiving Day paradeCredit: Alamy Live News
The COVID death toll reached 2,157 on Tuesday
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The COVID death toll reached 2,157 on TuesdayCredit: Getty Images - Getty
Families are urged to get tested before joining their relatives on Thanksgiving
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Families are urged to get tested before joining their relatives on ThanksgivingCredit: AP:Associated Press
COVID vaccine can be cleared for emergency use as early as December 10
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COVID vaccine can be cleared for emergency use as early as December 10Credit: Reuters
As US hospitalisations reach over 80,000 President-elect Biden says fighting the pandemic is his first priority
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As US hospitalisations reach over 80,000 President-elect Biden says fighting the pandemic is his first priorityCredit: Reuters
A New Yorker wearing a plexiglass bubble
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A New Yorker wearing a plexiglass bubbleCredit: Alamy Live News
More than THREE MILLION passengers screened in US over weekend amid fears CDC Thanksgiving travel warnings are ignored
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