The US has another negative achievement to its name as regards the coronavirus infections around the world. It has set a world record for new coronavirus cases recorded within 24 hours with over 100,000 new cases recorded on Saturday.
With about 100,233 new cases, the country surpassed the daily record set by India back in September when the country recorded 97,894 new cases.
A study has partly traced the rise in the number of cases to large-scale rallies organized by President Donald Trump in recent days. These events have been classified as super-spreaders events by experts. The study, conducted by researchers from Stanford University, said that Trump’s rallies had caused more than 30,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in about 700 deaths.
Back in September, Trump, who is not a fan of face masks, and other coronavirus safety protocols, contracted the virus alongside his wife and top aides. Speculations were rife that the president and other key members of his team must have come down with the virus at the nomination ceremony of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. In that ceremony, many of the CDC’s COVID-19 safety protocols were broken.
As it stands, the United States has more than 9 million cases of coronavirus infections, which have resulted in nearly 230,000 deaths. However, Trump insists that his administration is on top of the situation. Using figures for the last two days, it is safe to assume that the US is reporting more than one new case every second, CNN reports.
A lot of states experienced a new hike in the number of new infections in their domains. As cases surge in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo said that people coming into the state must quarantine for at least three days before taking a coronavirus test. If the test turns out negative, such persons may leave quarantine and go about their normal business.
However, this directive will not apply to residents of states that share a common border with New York and New Yorkers who leave the state for less than 24 hours. Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey were announced as contiguous states.
Experts worry that the rising trend in the number of coronavirus cases in the US is only going to worsen. Former Baltimore Health Commissioner, Dr. Leana Wen, said Saturday that the US should start considering putting into place more drastic measures like mandatory lockdowns.
“We are seeing COVID-19 hotspots raging all over the country, and right now we have an opportunity to implement targeted measures like universal mask-wearing, like making sure that high-risk businesses like bars in certain areas are shut down, like instructing the public that we should be avoiding social gatherings of extended family and friends,” Wen said.
Florida and Pennsylvania both experienced a spike in cases and number of deaths. In Florida, health officials reported 2,331 new cases on Saturday, while Pennsylvania reported 2,510 new cases. Both states have 16,761 and 8,812 deaths, respectively.
Things have gotten a lot worse in El Paso, Texas, where hospitals are struggling to meet the demands of COVID-19 patients. Officials plan to add a third mobile morgue unit in the event of more deaths that are expected. Joe Biden on Saturday reacted to the recent increase in deaths in the country, saying Trump was bereft of fresh ideas to tackle the pandemic.
“President Trump still has no plans to address COVID-19,” Biden said. “He quit on you, on your family, on America. He just wants us to grow numb to the horrors of the death toll and the pain. We cannot afford another four years of his failed leadership.”
Source: theguardian.com
