United States Sees 1,000 Coronavirus Deaths for Fourth Day When Florida Beats New York in Cases

The daily number of coronavirus deaths in the United States has exceeded more than 1,000 for four consecutive days as the country struggles to contain a resurgence of the Covid-19 outbreak, with at least 1,019 deaths reported on Friday.

Total cases in the United States increased by at least 68,800 on Friday to more than 4 million. Those numbers have been largely driven by an increase in infections in Arizona, California, Florida, Texas and California, and Florida officially overtook New York, once it was the epicenter of the global pandemic, in total cases.

“We are already beginning to see a plateau in these four critical states that have really suffered in the last four weeks, making Texas, California, Arizona and Florida the main subways and in all of their counties,” Dr. Deborah Birx told NBC News.

Comments from leading infectious disease experts came when federal health and education officials emphasized the need for children to return to classroom instruction. The American public and its leaders have been strongly divided on whether students should return to school for the fall period during the pandemic.

Dr. Birx said children under 18 are generally less ill than older adults with the sometimes deadly disease, but he called it an “open question” how easily children under 10 can transmit the virus.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has pushed for schools to reopen, saying it was critical to children’s mental and emotional well-being and their parents’ ability to work.

Business closings and “stay home” orders imposed by governors and local officials have seriously damaged the nation’s economy and left millions of Americans unemployed.

The CDC issued a call to reopen schools in a statement posted on its website that listed the benefits of being in school and minimized the health risks, although it said exceptions should be made for so-called virus “hot spots”.

The guide does not have the force of law, and it is unclear how much weight it will have with school districts. Most teacher unions, which in some states and cities have outsized political influence, especially among Democrats, have fought hard against reopening.

The guidelines were “all published with the intention of helping to facilitate, as mentioned above, the full reopening of schools for face-to-face learning,” said Dr. Robert Redfield, CDC director.

The CDC, the nation’s health protection agency, released the documents after Trump called the previous recommendations too harsh, impractical, and expensive. The Republican president has been increasingly critical of health experts as the increase in cases interferes with his efforts to reopen the economy.

While the risk of severe Covid-19 is considered relatively low for children, there is a fear that they could infect teachers and other employees.

Schools across the country are opening on different dates, with different modes of instruction: virtual, face-to-face classroom instruction, or a hybrid of both, and different or unclear expectations of how long each stage will last.

In-person classes in the Houston metropolitan area, which has been hit hard by the virus in recent weeks, have been delayed until at least September 8, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said.

New Jersey released guidelines Friday that allow parents to choose fully remote learning after receiving comments from many who “wanted a greater voice in the decision-making process.”

Reuters contributed to this report