Rise of 10,000 Covid deaths in 11 days is fastest in the United States since early June (File)
Deaths in the United States from the novel coronavirus topped 150,000 on Wednesday, a number higher than any other country and nearly a quarter of the global total, according to a Reuters tally.
Of the 20 countries with the largest outbreaks, the United States ranks sixth in the number of deaths per capita, with 4.5 deaths per 10,000 people.
Only the UK, Spain, Italy, Peru and Chile have a higher per capita rate, according to the tally, with deaths in the US accounting for almost 23% of the world total and slightly more of 661,000 people.
The increase of 10,000 COVID-19 deaths in 11 days is the fastest in the United States since early June. (https://tmsnrt.rs/2P87LUu)
The rate of infections has accelerated since the death toll in the United States rose to 100,000 on May 27. 32,000.
Arkansas, California, Florida, Montana, Oregon and Texas each reported record highs in deaths on Tuesday.
The rising numbers dashed early hopes that the country had weathered the worst of an economic crisis that decimated businesses and put millions of Americans out of work.
Health experts have been saying for months that the U.S. outbreak could be brought under control if guidelines to maintain social distancing and wear masks in public were followed everywhere.
These measures became a burning partisan issue after President Donald Trump, who initially downplayed the severity of the health crisis after the first US case in January, refused to wear a mask.
Trump has since started supporting masks but still has not imposed a national mandate requiring them.
Florida reported another record increase on Wednesday, with 217 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the state’s health department.
Florida commercial pilot Rob Koreman, 50, of Fort Lauderdale, said he was stunned by the escalation numbers.
“I am a pilot and I have hit so many cities, so many people on board, I have to be aware,” he said. “Basically none of this should have happened. We needed state coordination, if not a federal mandate.”
Interior parts
Louie Gohmert, a Republican lawmaker from Texas who has refused to wear a mask in the past, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, raising concerns that other members of Congress were also exposed.
Attorney General William Barr, who testified at a House Judiciary Committee hearing in which Gohmert attended on Tuesday, will be tested for the coronavirus, a Justice Department spokesperson said.
In a video posted to Twitter, Gohmert said he had worn a face mask frequently over the past two weeks, including during Tuesday’s hearing.
Officials in New Jersey, the state with the second highest death toll, again pleaded with young people to avoid large gatherings that have been breeding ground for the virus. Governor Phil Murphy has identified some parts that have led to clusters of new cases.
“The coronavirus spreads more easily indoors. Crowded house parties are neither smart nor safe,” he wrote on Twitter.
With schools scheduled to reopen days apart in some states, the Trump administration is pushing for students to return to classrooms, while some teachers and local officials have called for learning to stay online.
The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Measurement and Evaluation (IHME), whose forecasts are closely watched by policymakers, including the White House, first predicted in March that the pandemic could kill more than 81,000 people by July after easing in June.
In its latest statement on July 14, the IHME said its model now projects the death toll in the United States to more than 224,000 as of November 1.
He also said that number was not set in stone.
“Mask usage is on the rise, but not as high as it should be. If 95% of Americans wore masks every time they left their homes, infection rates would drop, hospitalizations would drop and predicted deaths would drop, “IHME said.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
