Alaska on Tuesday reported 382 new cases of COVID-19, six new hospitalizations and no deaths, according to the Department of Health and Social Services. In total, 84 Alaskans with the virus have died since the start of the pandemic, and Alaska's overall death rate per capita remains among the lowest in the country. A total of 80 people were hospitalized with the virus in Alaska as of Tuesday, and another 17 hospital patients were suspected of having COVID-19, according to state data. Nine patients with the virus are currently on ventilators. The rising number of patients hospitalized with the virus over the last few weeks has officials worried that increasing case numbers could overwhelm hospitals if the virus continues to spread rapidly.  

VIDEO: Heidi Charest of Lady's Island had the slightest of leads in the finals of the Firefighting Combat Challenge World Championships in Irving, Texas, two weeks ago. Her focus turned to keeping that lead as she dragged a 175-pound mannequin across the finish line. "Just keep moving," she told herself. "Don't let it down. Keep moving." Picking up Rescue Randy, as the competition mannequin is known, is the hardest part, Charest said. She didn't want to have to do it twice. As tough as it is — hefting and dragging the mannequin that weighs 25 pounds more than she does — that part of the race is her favorite. "I see it as a great accomplishment, not only as a female but as a firefighter," she said, explaining that the skill could mean saving the life of a fellow firefighter in an emergency situation.  

When USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) caught fire at the pier over the summer, sailors from across the waterfront rushed to the scene, some in damage control teams from their own ships and some showing up as individuals who wanted to help. Though the five-day firefighting effort became very organized, the first minutes were confusing: it was a Sunday morning, when most of the Bonhomme Richard crew and leadership weren't around, and disparate people who knew how to fight fires but hadn't trained on how to fold in together in an organized way rushed to the scene. A recent training exercise at the pier at Naval Station Norfolk sought to address that challenge. Crew members of aircraft carriers USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) and USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) participated in two in-port emergency team (IET) training evolutions on Oct. 24 and 26, to learn how to not only handle an emergency and incorporate help from civilian emergency responders, but also to learn how to integrate help from a nearby ship.  

Crews battled massive flames at a home in Schuylkill County. Fire ripped through the home in the 1100 block of West Center Street in West Mahanoy Township just after 10:30 p.m. Monday. Emergency officials said it was a single family home, but no one was hurt. Crews were at the scene for several hours battling the flames. Officials did not say what may have sparked the fire.  

Firefighters love their job, but it comes with hazards that not only threaten their physical safety, but also their emotional and mental well-being. Responding to hundreds of emergency related calls each year exposes firefighters and other first responders to a tremendous amount of trauma, from deadly car accidents and house fires to medical calls. Their devotion to helping people in crisis comes at a price. "Sometimes it just gets kind of heavy," explained longtime Tallahassee firefighter Engineer/Paramedic Jamal Simpson. "I've had guys come to me and say, ‘Hey, I had a bad wreck and when I opened the door I saw my brother.' No, it wasn't their actual brother, but it was someone around the same age, same build, same clothing and those things strike a nerve. Sometimes the guys just keep it in and don't talk about it or we may laugh about something to lighten the mood, but that is still in the back of your mind. You get enough of those and it starts to add up."  

Over 44 million people have contracted the novel coronavirus as of Oct. 28, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. About 1.2 million have died. As this pandemic rages across the globe and irrevocably changes more and more lives, its impact becomes increasingly difficult to visualize: 1.2 million deaths—that's about half the population of Houston, Texas. That's 11 million people left in mourning, according to Kaiser Health News—greater than the populations of New York City and Chicago combined. Still, even making these abstract comparisons minimizes the importance of each life lost, each person left disabled by long-term COVID-19 complications, and each person who lost work or income during the pandemic. Stacker compiled 50 charts that attempt to capture the scope of lives impacted by COVID-19. Some charts visualize global impacts, but most focus on the U.S. Sources include the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Tableau Public's Coronavirus (COVID-19) Viz Gallery, and custom charts made by Stacker specifically for this story.