Texas had released record numbers on Wednesday, reporting more than 8,000 new cases since the previous day, as well as its second-highest number of deaths in a single day before Abbott’s order, which requires facial covers in all public spaces in counties. with 20 or more coronavirus cases, “with few exceptions”.
Arizona, which received Pence on Wednesday, recorded 3,333 new cases, below the previous day’s record of nearly 5,000. The vice president said he was deploying hundreds of additional medical personnel requested by the state.
And California Governor Gavin Newsom announced 4,056 new cases in the past 24 hours, lower than record numbers released earlier in the week, though Newsom said at a news conference that hospitalizations and the number of patients with intensive care coronavirus had increased significantly in the past two weeks
Virus cases are on the rise in dozens of states across the country. On Wednesday, the United States as a whole topped 50,000 new cases in one day for the first time in the pandemic.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, described the increase. In an interview with BBC Radio as “a spike in cases that go far beyond the worst spikes we’ve seen,” and warned that if the US couldn’t control the latest surge, it could be seeing an “even bigger outbreak.”
Earlier this week, Fauci expressed alarm over the increasing number of cases, saying he “would not be surprised” if the country began to see up to 100,000 new coronavirus cases per day.
The new surge has prompted governors in more than a dozen states to pause or reverse their reopening process in the past week, as hospitalizations for the virus have also begun to rise.
That includes Florida, California, Texas, and Arizona, where leaders from all four states have closed bars and some beaches and re-imposed restrictions on other types of businesses, canceling elective surgeries in affected areas, and empowering local leaders to issue requirements. of facial mask. .
In testimony before the Select House Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis on Thursday, Admiral Brett Giroir, the nation’s evidence czar, reiterated that the increasing number of cases was not entirely due to stronger evidence capacity, an explanation that the White House has often relied on in recent weeks.
“There is no doubt that the more tests you get, the more you will discover, but we believe this is a real increase in cases due to the increased percentage of positivities.” So this is a real increase in cases, “said Giroir, assistant secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
He definitely said that the country was not “flattening the curve right now” when it came to coronavirus infections. Just a day earlier, he I had warned that the increase was beginning to affect the country’s testing capabilities.
Public health officials have blamed much of the surge in new infections on younger Americans, ignoring recommendations for social distancing, hanging out in bars, and giving up masks. Pence said Thursday that about half of new infections in the entire sunbelt were diagnosed in younger people, and said those demographics were “good news because, as we all know, younger Americans are much less susceptible to results. serious. “
But the White House has resisted any kind of mask mandate at the national level, and Pence on Thursday praised the administration’s unsystematic approach to the pandemic.
“I think one of the keys to the historic leadership that President Trump brought to the coronavirus pandemic is that we recognize that this pandemic would impact different parts of the country in different ways,” said the vice president on CNBC, praising the “association” of the administration. with state leaders
He continued: “We gave them guidance to practice the type of mitigation that was appropriate. I mean, there are some areas of the country, in fact, large areas of the country, where we have a very low number of cases. So it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, whether it’s testing or supplies. “
In his interview with the BBC, Fauci took a different position on the effectiveness of the United States in fighting the virus. The nation’s leading epidemiologist pointed to the infection curve across much of Europe, noting that the success of those countries’ blockades allowed them to hit a “baseline” of fewer cases after a massive initial spike.
“In the United States, even in the strictest blockade, only about 50 percent of the country was closed,” Fauci continued, stating that due to the most lax measures, the United States “never lowered things” to a baseline. Similary.
“That allowed the perpetuation of the outbreak that we never really had under good control,” he concluded.
Still, Pence adopted an encouraging tone in Florida.
“We can meet at this time. We can delay the spread. We can flatten the curve in Florida as we have in other parts of the country, “Pence said in a meeting with Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to a report by the press group.
Despite the new record numbers, Trump has also continued to express optimism about the worsening outbreak. On Wednesday, the president predicted in an interview with Fox Business that the virus “would just go away.”
At a press conference hastily called on Thursday to promote the latest job numbersTrump insisted that the United States was having the outbreak “under control.”
“We have some areas where we are putting out the flames or the fires, and that is working well. We are working very closely with the governors, and I think it is working very well. I think he will see it soon, “he said, adding later that” the crisis is being handled.
But the president’s optimistic assessment does not match public sentiment.
A POLITICAL / Morning consultation survey This week he found growing fear of the pandemic among voters, and about two-thirds expressed their desire for the government to address the spread of the virus in the economy, a 5-point increase from early June. More than three-quarters of voters say Americans should continue social distancing regardless of the effect on the economy, according to the survey, a 7-point increase from early June.
An equally large swath of voters is confident that the pandemic is far from over. More than 8 in 10 voters say a second wave of coronavirus is likely, a figure that includes 77 percent of Republicans.
The increased alarm among voters coincides with growing disapproval of the Trump presidency, and record low optimism about the country’s trajectory.
Still, the president continues the celebrations planned for July 4, starting Friday with a trip to South Dakota. There, Trump will oversee a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore, where organizers have said no facial covering or social distancing will be required. More than 7,000 people are expected to attend.
The following day, the Trump administration will host another military celebration in the nation’s capital, complete with military overpasses and an outrageous fireworks display, despite objections from local leaders about the cost and wisdom of hosting an event. of this type in the midst of a pandemic.
Trump’s optimistic view of the state of the country quickly set fire to his main rival in the November election, and former Vice President Joe Biden accused the president of “increasing football” even before reaching “the 50 line yards. ”
In a speech that reacted to June’s job numbers, which look great on paper but experts say obscure a darker reality, Biden stated, “There is no victory to celebrate when we are still close to 15 million jobs. and the pandemic is getting worse. ” not better.”
While acknowledging that the jobs report showed some progress, Biden said the president “wants to declare that this health crisis is over and that unemployment has been resolved. He is totally wrong, on both fronts.”
