US Coronavirus cases surge to highest level in two months

New York among only three US states on track to contain COVID-19, according to a data

BEIJING: New Coronavirus cases in the US have surged to their highest level in two months and are now back to where they were at the peak of the outbreak.

The US on Tuesday reported 34,700 new cases of the virus, according to a tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University that was published Wednesday. There have been only two previous days that the US has reported more cases: April 9 and April 24, when a record 36,400 cases were logged.

New cases in the US have been surging for more than a week after trending down for more than six weeks. While early hot spots like New York and New Jersey have seen cases steadily decrease, the virus has been hitting the south and west. Several states on Tuesday set single-day records, including Arizona, California, Mississippi, Nevada and Texas.

New York, New Jersey and

Massachusetts are the only three states in the US that are on track to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data by a multidisciplinary team of epidemiologists, health experts, and public policy leaders. New York state had been the epicentre of the Coronavirus pandemic in the US, recording over 388,500 cases and more than 31,200 deaths so far.

However, the state has turned the tide and is reporting record low daily deaths and hospitalisations while gradually re-opening its regions.

The US has reported 2,347,022 Coronavirus cases and 121,228 fatalities so far. Covid Act Now, a multidisciplinary team of technologists, epidemiologists, health experts, and public policy leaders, said that New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts are the only three states in the US on track to contain coronavirus.

“New York State is one of only three states that are on track to contain the COVID-19 according to a study by COVID Act Now. We went from one of the highest infection rates to one of the lowest and we did it by making decisions based on the science, the data and the facts -- not on politics,”

Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

He said New York is finally coming back and “I can't stress enough how important it is that we don't blow this incredible progress now”.

He reiterated his appeal to all New Yorkers to wear a mask, get tested, socially distance, wash hands and “be smart. Cuomo said on Sunday, New York reported only 10 deaths, the lowest since March 21 and down from a high of 800 daily deaths at the peak of the pandemic in April.

There are about 1,000 people in New York hospitals, which is one of the lowest numbers since the crisis began, Cuomo said.

“Because of the changes New Yorkers made, we now have the lowest transmission rate in the United States of America,” he added.

ICU hospitalisations were 330 and number of people discharged stood at 69,710.

All regions in the state have re-opened and this week New York City entered Phase 2 of reopening under which outdoor dining, in-store shopping, hair salons, barbershops and real estate firms will be permitted to resume work.

Covid Act Now said cases are steadily decreasing and New York's Coronavirus preparedness “meets or exceeds international standards”. On the state's infection rate, it said on an average, each person in New York with COVID is infecting 0.81 other people. “Because each person is infecting less than one other person, the total number of current cases in New York is shrinking,” it added.

Further 1.1% of COVID tests were positive, which suggests enough widespread, aggressive testing in New York to detect most new cases, COVID Act Now said, adding that identifying and isolating new cases can help contain COVID without resorting to lockdowns. Worldwide, more than 9.2 million people have contracted the virus, including more than 477,000 who have died, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University.