- COVID-19 is more deadly than accidents, lung disease and Alzheimer’s, says a leading health expert.
- Dr Deborah Birx wishes coronavirus lockon in the US would have been tougher.
- A test site in Arizona was destroyed by high winds.
COVID-19 has jumped to become one of the top killers in the United States, behind heart disease and cancer, says a national health expert.
“COVID is now the cause 3 of deaths in the U.S. – ahead of accidents, injuries, lung disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and many, many other causes, “former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden told CNN on Monday.
The US has averaged more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths a day in the past three weeks.
Peace added that the death toll from COVID-19 in the US is higher than in many other countries.
“Last week, Americans were eight times more likely to be killed by COVID than Europeans were,” he said.
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Nationally, more than 5.4 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 170,586 have died from the disease, according to data found by Johns Hopkins University. In all, nearly 22 million people worldwide have been confirmed to have the disease and more than 775,000 have died.
Recent developments
United States of America:
-Two other large universities moved the number of students on campus less, at least temporarily. Michigan State told students who plan to live in housing estates to stay home instead and take classes remotely, while Notre Dame replaced all classes in person by remote learning for the next two weeks.
-Dr. Deborah Birx, head of the White House coronavirus task force, said lockdowns in the U.S. in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic should be more restrictive. “I wish that when we went into lockdown (in March), we looked like Italy,” Birx said Monday. “When Italy shut down, I mean, people were not allowed out of their homes (without passports). Americans did not respond well to that kind of ban.”
-A 24-hour open COVID-19 test site at Mesa Community College in Maricopa County, Arizona, was destroyed by high winds Monday night, according to video posted on Facebook by Embry Women’s Health, which runs the site.
The University of North Carolina announced Monday that it would effectively close classes on the main campus in Chapel Hill on Wednesday, due to clusters of coronavirus cases in bedrooms and at least one fraternity home. The move came about a week after students returned to campus.
Houston Fire Department’s EMS drugs attempt to save the life of a nursing home resident in a heart attack on August 12, 2020, in Houston. A leading health expert says COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death in the US
(John Moore / Getty Images)
-Ithaca College in New York announced Tuesday that classes will be held remotely throughout the semester. In a letter to the campus community, Ithaca President Shirley Collado was quoted as saying current health concerns, such as the possibility that the campus will have to close again soon when it opens.
-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order requiring travelers of certain states to fill out a health form before accessing their hotel rooms or short-term rentals. New York State currently requires travelers from more than 3 states, plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, to quarantine for 14 days. Similar rules apply in neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut.
Worldwide:
-After five months of some of the strictest lockdown rules in the world, people in South Africa can buy liquor and cigarettes again. The sale of both was banned at the end of March. Beverage sales were allowed again in June, but were shut down when virus cases began to run rampant. Residents, wearing masks and practicing social distance, rallied in stores across the country on Tuesday to buy liquor and tobacco products, The Associated Press reported. The number of new daily cases in South Africa dropped from an average of 12,000 per day in July to less than 5,000 per day last week. In all, the country has reported 589,000 cases and nearly 12,000 deaths.
-Almost any case in a recent rise in Australia has been linked to travelers returning from abroad, according to the AP. Officials say 99% of current infections in the state of Victoria can be traced back to two hotels where returning travelers spread COVID-19 to staff and their close contacts. The increase in cases prompted renewed lockdowns in the city of Melbourne.
Look at us dedicated COVID-19 page.
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