Don’t ignore this headline: The pandemic is getting worse. What happens next is up to

It turns out the first two weeks have been abysmal.

The United States just shattered its all-time records for the most Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths reported in one day:

— On January 2, a record-high 302,506 new infections were reported in one day, according to Johns Hopkins University.

That’s an average of 3.5 people getting infected every second.

— On January 6, a record-high 132,447 patients were hospitalized with Covid-19, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

Many hospitals are now filled beyond capacity, meaning even those without Covid-19 — say, car accident victims — might not get immediate care.

— On January 12, a record-high 4,462 Covid-19 deaths were reported in just one day, according to Johns Hopkins.

A Boeing 747 can carry about 400 passengers. That means in one day, US deaths from Covid-19 were on par with 11 jumbo jets crashing, killing everyone on board.

Why is this happening?

People are letting their guard down due to pandemic fatigue. And many of those who are sick of taking precautions are getting sick.

Now that the weather is colder, more people are socializing indoors. And the coronavirus primarily spreads during close contact with others through respiratory droplets — produced when someone talks, coughs, sings or even breathes.

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Sometimes, viral particles can “linger in the air for minutes to hours,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

“These viruses may be able to infect people who are further than 6 feet away from the person who is infected or after that person has left the space,” the CDC said.

Socializing indoors with anyone outside your bubble — even just one friend — is risky. Gathering with multiple friends indoors can be dangerous.

“If you go to a party with five or more people, almost certainly there’s going to be somebody with Covid-19 at that party,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Want to hang with some friends (mask-free)? Make a Covid-19 bubble -- and make it tight

One reason why the coronavirus spreads so easily is because people can be contagious without knowing they’re infected — and can pass along the virus without looking or feeling sick.

The CDC estimates more than 50% of all infections are transmitted from people who aren’t showing symptoms.

“This means at least half of new infections come from people likely unaware they are infectious to others,” the agency said.

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And just like doctors predicted, holiday travel and gatherings have triggered new waves of infections, hospitalizations and deaths across the country.

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Fallout from the holidays could still ripple across the United States for weeks to come.

“It takes two to three weeks for patients to get sick enough to need the hospital after they’ve gotten the virus,” said Dr. Anish Mahajan, chief medical officer at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Even though Christmas was less than three weeks ago, “we’re already full.”

“We don’t have any more ICU capacity,” Mahajan said. “All of the hospitals in the region are putting ICU patients in unusual places in the hospital just to find room for them.”

Some patients have been put in hospital break rooms, parking garages…