Some hopeful signs began to emerge when the US recorded the lowest daily number of new coronavirus cases in nearly eight weeks and hospitalizations continued to decline.
But recent outbreaks in a number of schools and universities across the country have shown that catching the virus remains a challenge.
The U.S. reported 35,112 new cases of coronavirus Monday, the smallest since June 24, when it reported 34,935, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Sunday’s count of 42,048 new cases was the lowest since June 29.
Nearly 22 million people worldwide are infected, according to Johns Hopkins data, and 774,769 have died. In the US, some 5.46 million have dedicated Covid-19 and 171,344 have died, figures from Johns Hopkins show.
The drip in cases coincides with a decline in reported infections in some states that were major hot spots earlier this summer. Arizona, for example, on Monday reported less than 500 daily cases for the first time since June 1. Florida had 2,678 cases, the lowest number of new cases since June 17. Texas had 5,716 new cases, the lowest number in about a week.
In all three states, the seven-day average of new cases last week was less than the 14-day average, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from Johns Hopkins. The longer-term averages help in reporting anomalies. If the seven-day average is lower than the 14-day, it signals that reported cases may fall.
Those declining case counts came as the seven-day average of tests per 1,000 people in Arizona and Texas increased this week from a week ago, according to data from Johns Hopkins. Johns Hopkins considers that metric trend will be if the increase is more than 5%. According to the data, testing was lower in Florida.
In 24 states, including Arizona and Texas, the seven-day average of tests per 1,000 people this week was on the rise compared to last. Johns Hopkins showed that it decreased from a week earlier in 19 states. Johns Hopkins considers this measurement of tests to be flat if it is less than 5% higher or lower than the week before.
Hospitalizations nationwide have also dropped to their lowest level since July 9, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project, which shows 43,485 people hospitalized as of Monday. Amid the summer gains from infections, that figure had climbed to 59,716 on July 24th. Hospital reporting differs from state to state, so the total may vary.
After a steady decline in coronavirus-related hospitalizations in California for two weeks, the state reported that 5,061 people were hospitalized with coronavirus on Monday – 86 more than the day before. “As the governor reminds us, one day is not a trend,” said Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency. “But it’s an important number that we’ll continue to watch to make sure it does not become a trend.”
At state and local levels, some areas are showing progress in bringing the virus under control, while others are suffering from fresh setbacks.
The University of Notre Dame moved person classes online for at least two weeks after seeing an increase in cases of coronavirus. The South Bend, Ind., College reported an additional 80 positive cases of the 418 coronavirus tested Monday, the highest number of cases the school has reported and tests completed by the school in a full day.
The extinction of cases has been linked to at least two parties off campus, and the majority of students who test positive are senior students, mostly male, said school spokesman Paul Browne. The university welcomed students back to its campus earlier this month and required them to submit a negative Covid-19 test within a week of arrival.
Michigan State University President Samuel Stanley Jr. said Tuesday that the school would have all fall-semester classes online, with safety and staff instructions. That comes a day after the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said Monday that relocated undergraduate classes began online Wednesday, following a series of Covid-19 outbreaks on and around campus since beginning classes last week.
Schools in several states, including Indiana, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Georgia, closed to personal learning this month after students and staff tested positive for Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, sent thousands into quarantine and distance learning. Several superintendents working on schools again have also tested positive, and at least one has died.
Schools in 71 Mississippi counties have reported coronavirus cases, with 245 cases among teachers and 199 among students, State Attorney Thomas Dobbs said during a news conference Monday. Now 589 lecturers and 2,035 students are under quarantine, said Dr. Dobbs.
Despite the rocky start to instruction in person in some parts of the country, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is in a better position than many others. Schools there are due to reopen in September.
“When you talk about schools in places where the coronavirus is raging, unfortunately do not wait until you see a bad result,” he said, noting the city’s low positivity figures. “By that measure, we are not in the least comparable to what is happening elsewhere.”
On Tuesday, New York City reported an average of seven days of 328 new cases and a positivity rate of 1.56%. It said it is no longer going to report hospital and intensive care unit capacity. Newly appointed health commissioner Dave Chokshi called the move “a sign of our progress” with the virus.
New York Secretary of State Andrew Cuomo’s office said it added Alaska and Delaware to the state’s travel advisory list, which now includes 34 states and Puerto Rico. Travelers from those states must be quarantined for 14 days when visiting the Empire State.
In neighboring Connecticut, an independent, state-funded report released Tuesday that health officials are developing a plan to protect nursing homes in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and were also hampered by an outdated outbreak control system.
More than 3,000 long-term residents have died in Connecticut, representing about three-quarters of all Covid-19 deaths in the state.
On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said talks between Republicans and Democrats will remain quiet over another round of stimulus funding as the pandemic remains an economic toll on Americans. Several states received federal approval to pay an additional $ 300 a week in unemployment benefits, although some said it would take a few weeks before they could deliver the money to workers.
President Trump earlier this month signed an executive order that provided an extra $ 300 a week and allowed states to use their own funds to pay out an extra $ 100, even though many have money shortages. The total is less than the added $ 600 in unemployment benefits that expired at the end of July.
The virus continued to complicate plans for the upcoming presidential election.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Tuesday that he did not support an emergency election plan proposed by Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, noting that it did not include exemptions for people who were at high risk of getting coronavirus or were quarantined. He said any resolution on an emergency plan “is likely to come from the court.”
Mr Ardoin’s plan would extend the start of the personal vote, but only limited the extension of absent votes. According to Mr. Ardoin, a greater expansion of the state’s current program in such a short time frame would be almost impossible and increase the confusion of the electorate. He also cited “an abundance of problems” with the US Postal Service.
Write to Jennifer Calfas at [email protected] and Allison Prang at [email protected]
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