COVID-19 spirals out of control in US as daily deaths rise above 1,000
Concerns are growing over a sharp increase in the number of daily coronavirus cases and deaths in the U.S. as the country moves forward with its normalization process
coronavirus threat in the U.S. is still far from over as the number of deaths remains over 1,000 and experts warn of new waves. The U.S. recorded 1,199 fatalities from the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, as the country’s death toll began to climb again, the Johns Hopkins University tally showed Tuesday. The number of daily deaths had not exceeded 1,000 since June 10. The country has suffered a total of 127,322 deaths, according to the Baltimore-based institution as of 8:30 p.m. Tuesday (12:30 a.m. GMT Wednesday). The U.S. also registered 42,528 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours. The government’s top infectious diseases expert warned Tuesday the U.S. could see 100,000 new coronavirus cases a day if Americans fail to take steps to get the virus under control. “We are now having 40,000-plus new cases a day,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in testimony to the Senate health and education committee. “I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around,” Fauci said. “I am very concerned because it could get very bad.”
remarks dovetailed with warnings by health officials that some Americans, particularly younger adults, had let down their guard since the end of mandatory lockdowns put in place in March and April to stop the pandemic.
Many states where the virus is now surging began reopening businesses without having met government health benchmarks for doing so safely.
There are fears the recent spike in cases could become turbo-charged later this week by the July 4 Independence Day celebrations, when Americans traditionally flock to beaches and campgrounds and gather to watch fireworks displays.
Fauci declined to predict a figure for the expected number of deaths in the United States from the pandemic but said it is going to be “disturbing.”
The U.S. Department of Health and
HIS
Human Services (HHS) this week said it had secured all of Gilead’s projected production of the remdesivir drug for July and 90% of its production in August and September, in addition to an allocation for clinical trials. Remdesivir is set to become the first COVID-19 treatment approved in Europe.
Meanwhile, Canada extended its entry ban for most foreigners by another month to July 31 and also prolonged its quarantine requirements in efforts to prevent imported cases of the coronavirus.
The general border closure does not apply to people coming from the U.S., who remain restricted to only essential travel to Canada until at least July 21, with visits for tourism or recreation forbidden.
“Border measures prohibiting foreign nationals from entering Canada from any country other than the United States subject to certain limited exceptions ... (have) been extended,”
Canada’s public health agency said in a statement Tuesday.
CASES SURPASS 400,000 IN AFRICA
Africa’s confirmed coronavirus cases have surpassed 400,000 and deaths have crossed 10,000 as health officials warn the pandemic is picking up speed on the continent of 1.3 billion people.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say confirmed cases are now above 404,000 on the 54-nation continent, while testing capabilities remain low because of shortages of materials.
The new milestones come as some countries loosen their lockdowns and even reopen airports for international flights. South Africa leads the continent with more than 151,000 confirmed cases. An emerging hot spot is in Gauteng province, containing Johannesburg, with 28% of the country’s cases.
Meanwhile, Thai schools reopened Wednesday for the first time since midMarch, with precautions in place to guard against the coronavirus, ranging from temperature checks to installing makeshift cubicles for social distancing in classrooms.
At Sam Khok school, about 50 km (31 miles) north of Bangkok, nearly 5,000 students were told to self-quarantine at home for 15 days prior to the restart as an extra precaution, Principal Chuchart Thiengtham said. “Once students arrive at school, teachers hand face masks to them because it’s mandatory to wear them,” said Chuchart, adding that face shields were also provided to pupils for additional safety during some activities.
Students also get their temperatures checked and a facial recognition scanner automatically sends a message to parents, he said.