Infections hit 9.1 million, with 472,000 deaths
More than half of U.S. states are seeing surges in new daily coronavirus infections.
Worldwide infections have surpassed 9.1 million, with 2.3 million in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 472,000 people have died worldwide, with more than 120,000 deaths in the U.S.
The outbreak is accelerating in the U.S. and other countries, said Dr. Michael Ryan, the emergencies chief at the World Health Organization. But Ryan has dismissed the notion that record-breaking daily cases is due to more testing.
In at least six states, the number of total infections has topped 100,000, including in Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he won’t lock down the state again, although local governments may still implement their own restrictions.
In Texas, Monday marked the 11th consecutive day the state set a new high for COVID-19 hospitalizations. Meanwhile, in Austin, alcohol permits were suspended at several bars for violating social distancing protocols.
Arizona also reported record hospitalizations on Monday ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit on Tuesday. The governor last week allowed cities and counties to enforce their own face mask mandates.
Other headlines from around the globe
In the U.K., Prime Minister Boris Johnson rolled back some social distancing measures Tuesday and announced the beginning of the end of “our long national hibernation,” The Guardian reported.
Star men’s tennis player Novak Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, have tested positive for COVID-19, he announced Tuesday.
Gilead Sciences, the company behind the drug remdesivir that is being used to treat coronavirus patients, is starting human trials for an inhaled version of the drug, CNBC reported.
California’s Yosemite National Park is reversing course two weeks after reopening and now says it will hold off on reopening campgrounds through the month of July after a spike in cases in the state. Park officials began reopening some campgrounds this month after being closed for more than two months because of the outbreak. But they said Tuesday that reservations with arrival dates between now and July 31 have been canceled for several campgrounds.
In Virginia, the Supreme Court has lifted a moratorium on evictions in response to the pandemic, paving the way for proceedings to resume next week. The ban was put in place in March and was extended this month. It is set to expire Sunday. Tenant advocates said thousands of families that are struggling financially because of COVID-19 could be affected.