People over 75, front-line essential workers should get vaccine next, CDC panel says

The United States surpassed 17 million total confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, just five days after exceeding 16 million cases, according to real-time data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

The grim milestone came hours after the country reached new record highs in daily deaths, cases and hospitalizations.

A staggering 3,656 American deaths were reported on Wednesday -- resulting in an average of two deaths every minute in the last 24 hours.

Across the nation, 17,581 COVID-19 deaths were reported in the last week, more deaths that any other week since the start of the pandemic.

The U.S. is now averaging more than 2,500 reported deaths a day, according to a seven-day average, increasing by nearly 120% in the last month.

There are currently 113,069 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the country, according to the COVID Tracking Project, marking the eleventh consecutive day that the nation has hit a record high of current hospitalizations. There are now nearly 40,000 more Americans currently hospitalized than one month ago.

ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.

At the Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Thursday on meeting about a potential recommendation of an emergency use authorization of Moderna’s vaccine, officials discussed concerns over anaphylactic reactions to Pfizer's vaccine.

Dr. Doran Fink, deputy director-clinical of the Division of Vaccines and Related Products Applications at the FDA, highlighted the two cases of allergic reactions -- one of which was anaphylaxis -- in health workers in Alaska on Wednesday.

Last week, in the U.K., there were also two cases of anaphylaxis after the Pfizer vaccine was administered. As a result, prior to emergency authorization, the FDA clarified its guidance, saying it is safe for people with any history of allergies, but not for those who might have a known history of severe allergic reaction to any “ingredient” of the vaccine.

Fink said the FDA anticipates there may be more reports of allergic reactions to the vaccines, and they will be investigated as they occur.

The FDA is coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to further investigate cases in the U.S. The FDA is also working with Pfizer to further revise the fact sheets and prescribing information for the vaccine to highlight CDC guidelines for post-vaccination monitoring and management of allergic reactions.

Fink noted that this “revision will be in addition to the information already included in the contraindications and warnings, including the facilities where vaccines are being administered should ensure that medical treatment for managing serious allergic reactions is immediately available.”

Fink said the same recommendations will be done for the Moderna vaccine, if it is authorized for use under an EUA.

ABC News’ Anne Flaherty, Stephanie Ebbs, Sophie Tatum and Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.

In New Jersey, Wednesday night’s snowstorm has delayed some vaccine deliveries, Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday.

Murphy said he was “not aware of any place that was expecting it that won’t get it” because of the storm. “It just may be a little later than otherwise expected."

Based on early data, COVID-19 is now likely the leading cause of death in the U.S., ahead of heart disease and cancer, according to a research letter in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

The official death statistics will not be available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until next year.  

By October, “COVID-19 had become the third leading cause of death for persons aged 45 through 84 years and the second leading cause of death for those aged 85 years or older,” JAMA said. “Between November 1, 2020, and December 13, 2020, the 7-day moving average for daily COVID-19 deaths tripled, from 826 to 2430 deaths per day, and if this trend is unabated will soon surpass the daily rate observed at the height of the spring surge.”

The letter concluded, “The need for the entire population to take the disease seriously—notably to wear masks and maintain social distance—could not be more urgent.”

ABC News’ Sony Salzman and Shiela Beroukhim Afrahimi contributed to this report.