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CHICAGO: Nearly half a million people have contracted COVID-19 in the United States over the past seven days, according to a Reuters tally, as new cases and hospitalizations set records in the Midwest.
Coronavirus hot spots include Illinois, which reported 31,000 new infections in the past week, and two states that are expected to be key in the US presidential election on November 3: Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
“We must take collective and meaningful action,” Andrea Palm of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services told a news conference, adding that contact tracers were overwhelmed and hospitals could face staff shortages. “This is going to get worse before it gets better.”
Wisconsin broke state records for one day for both cases and deaths; State officials told residents to stay home, wear masks and cancel social gatherings.
Alaska set a state record for single-day positive tests over the weekend, and some of the hardest hit parts of the state were rural communities with primarily Native populations.
Across the country, more than 5,600 people died from the virus across the country in the past week, and hospitalizations rose 13 percent, a Reuters analysis showed.
US President Donald Trump, facing a tough reelection battle on November 3, reiterated on Tuesday his claim that the country is “turning around” in the pandemic that has killed more than 226,000 people since broke out in March.
READ: Biden says stopping COVID-19 will take a lot of work, as Trump keeps stopping
“We made the ventilators and now we are making all the equipment and now we are doing vaccines, we are doing therapies. We have done a great job and people are beginning to see,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
ILLINOIS CRACKS
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker imposed new rounds of restrictions in seven of the 11 regions, the most recent in Chicago
Starting Friday, indoor dining at bars and restaurants in Windy City will be suspended and meetings will be limited to 25 people. Business owners in parts of Illinois have rejected the restrictions, citing financial damage.
Other states have backtracked, reopening plans to slow the spread of the virus as cooler weather approaches in most parts of the country.
Idaho Governor Brad Little on Monday banned indoor gatherings of more than 50 people and limited them outdoors to 25% of capacity.
Health experts believe the virus is on the rise due to private social gatherings, colder temperatures that bring people indoors, and Americans’ fatigue with COVID-19 restrictions that have been in place for more than six months.
READ: With six days to go, Trump heads to Arizona and Biden delivers a speech on COVID-19
Beyond the Midwest, the city of El Paso in Texas is also facing a surge in cases that is overwhelming local hospitals, with officials establishing an alternative care center to help ease medical facilities.
“We are seeing all kinds of patients. Historically, the narrative has been that of those over 65, those with multiple comorbidities. But we are seeing people in their 20s. We are seeing people in their 30s, 40s” Old, “he said. Dr. Ogechika Alozie, an infectious disease specialist from El Paso, told Reuters.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced that he would reinstate some coronavirus rules to combat what city officials described as a “dramatic increase” in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Restaurants, retail businesses and offices will see their capacity cut 50 percent in half, the mayor said, while events will be limited to 25 people indoors and 75 outdoors.
Colorado reported a record one-day increase in cases on Monday and hospitalizations increased 60 percent in the past two weeks to 571. The percentage of positive tests has more than doubled this month to more than 7 percent. However, the number of people hospitalized in the state is well below the April record of 1,000.
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