By Sharon Bernstein and Lisa Shumaker
(Reuters) – Four U.S. states in the south and west on Tuesday reported records of one-day coronavirus deaths and cases in Texas passed the 400,000 mark, as California health authorities said Latinos represented more than half of their cases.
Arkansas, Florida, Montana and Oregon reported record spikes in deaths. California had recorded 133 mid-afternoon deaths, less than its one-day high of 159 hours ahead.
California health authorities said Latinos, who make up just over a third of the most populous state in the U.S., account for 56% of COVID-19 infections and 46% of deaths. Cases are on the rise in the Central Valley agricultural region, with its heavily Latino population, overwhelming hospitals.
Florida saw 191 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, its biggest increase in a single day so far, the state health department said.
Texas added more than 6,000 new cases on Monday, bringing its total to 401,477, according to a Reuters count. Only three other states, California, Florida and New York, have more than 400,000 cases in total. Those states are also the four most populous states in the United States.
California and Texas reported declines in hospitalizations overall, as Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the leading experts on infectious diseases in the US, saw signs that the increase may be peaking in the South and west, while other areas were on the cusp of new outbreaks.
Fauci said early indications showed that the percentage of positive coronavirus tests increased in Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky.
SCHOOL REOPENING DEBATE
Rising deaths and infections in the United States have lowered initial hopes that the country has overcome the worst economic crisis that has decimated businesses and left millions of Americans out of work.
The trend has also fueled a bitter debate over the reopening of American schools in the coming weeks. United States President Donald Trump and members of his administration have lobbied for students to return to class, while some teachers and local officials have called for online learning
“We will fight on all fronts for the safety of the students and their educators,” Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said during the union’s virtual convention on Tuesday. “It is the eleventh hour; we need the resources now.”
The battle takes place in Texas. The Texas Education Agency, the state supervisor of public education, said it would deny funds to schools that delay classes in person due to orders from local health authorities related to the pandemic.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a guide so that health authorities cannot impose “general” school closings for coronavirus prevention. Any such decision rests with school officials, he said.
Local health leaders in the largest metropolitan areas of Texas, including Houston and Dallas, have recently ordered the postponement of in-person classes.
RELIEF DISPUTES
In Washington, Republicans in the US Senate rejected their own party’s $ 1 trillion coronavirus relief proposal the day after it was revealed by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, sending some US stocks down.
“I’m not about to borrow another trillion dollars,” Republican Senator Rand Paul told reporters.
Democrats have also rejected the plan as too limited compared to its $ 3 billion proposal that was approved by the House of Representatives in May. Some Republicans called it too expensive.
Trump said Tuesday that he did not support everything in the Republican Senate coronavirus relief legislation, but would not elaborate on what he did not like.
“There are also things that I very much support,” he said in a White House briefing. “But we will be negotiating.”
Trump also complained about Fauci’s high approval ratings and joked “no one likes me” as he struggles to improve his position with voters on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It can only be my personality,” Trump said.
Fauci, a member of Trump’s coronavirus task force, is one of the most trusted people in government, and many Americans listen to his advice on how to protect themselves from infection.
(Report by Susan Heavey, Daniel Trotta, Patricia Zengerle, David Morgan, Lisa Shumaker, Maria Caspani, Brendan O’Brien and Sharon Bernstein; Written by Paul Simao and Dan Whitcomb; Edited by Howard Goller and Cynthia Osterman)
