US records 77,300 fresh cases in 24 hours: Report

Washington, July 17: The United States set yet another record for new Coronavirus cases with 77,300 infections recorded in 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

In that period the death toll also climbed by 974 people, the Baltimorebased university’s tracker showed. That brought the total death toll in the country since the pandemic began to 1,38,201, and the total number of cases to 3,560,364.

The US remains the hardest-hit country in the world in absolute terms.

Experts believe it never emerged from its first wave of infections, and cases have been surging again in recent weeks, particularly across the south and west in states that pushed to lift lockdown restrictions early.

Florida is the new epicenter of the Coronavirus epidemic in the United States and is shaping up as a key battleground in a partisan-tinged fight playing out nationally over reopening schools in the fall.

While cities such as Houston, Los Angeles and New York plan to begin the school year virtually or on a restricted in-person basis, Florida governor Ron DeSantis is insisting schools reopen fully in August.

The Republican governor’s demand mirrors that of President Donald Trump, who is facing a tough re-election battle in November and is pushing for schools to reopen as a sign of a return to normalcy.

Trump, who is trailing Democrat Joe Biden in polling, has even threatened to cut federal funding for those schools that refuse to open their doors.

“The president has said unmistakably that he wants schools to open,” White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said on Thursday. “And when he says open, he means open and full, kids being able to attend each and every day.

“The science should not stand in the way of this,” McEnany added. “The science is on our side here.” A Yahoo News/YouGov poll published on Thursday found that 63 percent of Americans said Trump should not be pressuring schools to reopen, while 25 percent agreed with his push.

Ninety-five percent of the Democrats and 58 percent of the Republicans surveyed agreed that reopening schools should take a back seat to public health.

Trump and DeSantis have only so much leverage, however, in a fight that has them butting heads with teachers’ unions, medical experts and many wary parents.

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