Coronavirus deaths rising in 30 states

New variants are detected in Britain, South Africa and Brazil

NEW YORK — Coronavirus deaths are rising in nearly two-thirds of American states as a winter surge pushes the overall toll toward 400,000 amid warnings that a new, highly contagious variant is taking hold.

As Americans observed a national holiday Monday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pleaded with federal authorities to curtail travel from countries where new variants are spreading.

Referring to new versions detected in Britain, South Africa and Brazil, Cuomo said: “Stop those people from coming here. . . . Why are you allowing people to fly into this country and then it’s too late?”

The U.S. government has already curbed travel from some of the places where the new variants are spreading — such as Britain and Brazil — and recently it announced that it would require proof of a negative COVID-19 test for anyone flying into the country.

But the new variant seen in Britain is already spreading in the U.S., and the Centers for Disease Control and Protection has warned that it will probably become the dominant version in the country by March. The CDC said the variant is about 50 percent more contagious than the virus that is causing the bulk of cases in the U.S.

While the variant does not cause more severe illness, it can cause more hospitalizations and deaths simply because it spreads more easily. In Britain, it has aggravated a severe outbreak that has swamped hospitals, and it has been blamed for sharp leaps in cases in some other European countries.

As things stand, many U.S. states are already under tremendous strain. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths is rising in 30 states and the District of Columbia, and on Monday the U.S. death toll surpassed 398,000, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University — by far the highest recorded death toll of any country in the world.

Ellie Murray, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health, said cases have proliferated in part because of gatherings for Christmas and New Year — and compounded previous surges from Thanksgiving and the return of students to schools and universities in the fall.

The pace of any further spread will depend on whether those who did gather with family and friends quarantined afterward or went back to school or work in person, she said.

One of the states hardest hit during the recent surge is Arizona, where the rolling average has risen over the past two weeks from about 90 deaths per day to about 160 per day on Jan. 17.

“It’s kind of hard to imagine it getting a lot faster than it is right now, because it is transmitting really fast right now,” said Dr. Joshua LaBaer, director of the Biodesign Institute research center at Arizona State University. “But there is some evidence that Thanksgiving didn’t help things.”

Rural Yuma County — known as the winter lettuce capital of the U.S. — is now one of the state’s hot spots. Exhausted nurses there are now regularly sending COVID-19 patients on a long helicopter ride to hospitals in Phoenix when they don’t have enough staff. The county has lagged on coronavirus testing in heavily Hispanic neighborhoods and just ran out of vaccines.

But some support is coming from military nurses and a new wave of free tests for farmworkers and the elderly in Yuma County.

Amid the rise in cases, a vast effort is underway to get Americans vaccinated — what Cuomo called “a footrace” between the vaccination rate and the infection rate. But the campaign is off to an uneven start. According to the latest federal data, about 31.2 million doses of vaccine have been distributed, but only about 10.6 million people have received at least one dose.

In some cases, vaccine supplies thus far do not meet demand. More than 172,000 people in Missouri’s St. Louis County have registered for the vaccine, but the local health department so far has only received 975 doses, said County Executive Sam Page.

In California, the most populous state, counties are pleading for more vaccine as the state tries to reduce a high rate of infection that has led to record numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.

Although the state last week said anyone age 65 and older can start receiving the vaccine, Los Angeles County and some others have said they don’t have enough to immunize so many people. They are concentrating on protecting health care workers and the most vulnerable elderly in care homes first.

On Monday, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District sent a letter asking for state and county authorization to provide vaccinations at schools for staff, local community members — and for students once a vaccine for children has been approved.

The death rate from COVID-19 in Los Angeles

Latest developments:

■ State Department of Health officials on Monday reported 129 new cases as of 11:59 p.m. Saturday, including 83 on Oahu, 21 on Maui, nine on Hawaii island, two on Kauai and 14 residents diagnosed outside of Hawaii.

■ There have now been 24,482 cases statewide, including 19,974 on Oahu, 2,082 on Hawaii island, 1,609 in Maui County (1,478 on Maui, 106 on Lanai, 25 on Molokai) and 175 on Kauai. A total of 642 residents have been diagnosed out of state.

■ There were no new coronavirus-related deaths Monday. The death toll remains at 322, including 253 fatalities on Oahu, 45 on Hawaii island, 20 on Maui, one on Kauai and three residents who died on the Mainland.

■ Hawaii is averaging 128 daily new cases, with a test positivity rate of 2.6 percent, while Maui County is averaging 24 new daily cases with a positivity rate of 3.8 percent.

■ Maui Memorial Medical Center’s vaccination clinic reopened Monday to health care workers and other eligible individuals seeking their second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech. Due to short supply, the clinic is temporarily closed to new registrations and is operating on a condensed weekday schedule.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on identifying COVID-19:

■ Fever and cough are symptoms.

■ Most people have mild illness and are able to recover at home. If you think you may have been exposed to COVID-19, contact your health care provider immediately.

■ Keep track of symptoms.

■ If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), get medical attention right away.

■ Some people who are not showing symptoms could have the illness.

Methods for preventing illness include:

■ Washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating and after nose-blowing, coughing or sneezing.

■ If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.

■ Avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

■ Avoid contact with people who are sick; stay home if sick.

■ Wear a face mask in public settings. The mask is intended to protect others.

■ Social distancing: Stay 6 feet apart from others.

■ Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets and sinks.

For more information:

■ Call 211 or text (877) 275-6569 for general questions about coronavirus.

■ Hawaii Health Department: hawaiicovid19.com.

■ CDC: Coronavirus.gov. To report violations of quarantine orders to the Maui Police Department:

■ Email mpdquarantine@mpd.net.