The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States rose to a record high of more than 50,000 per day on Thursday, with the infection curve increasing in 40 of the 50 states in a reversal that has largely prevented just the Northeast.
In another alarming indicator, 36 states are seeing an increase in the percentage of tests that are testing positive for the virus.
The increase was attributed in part to Americans who don’t wear face masks or who follow other social distancing rules as states have lifted their blockades in recent weeks.
The United States recorded 50,700 new cases, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University. That represents a doubling of the daily total over the past month and is even higher than what the country witnessed during the deadliest phase of the crisis in April and May.
People await a health screening check-up before entering Jackson Memorial Hospital as Miami-Dade County alleviates some of the blocking measures implemented during the coronavirus outbreak in Miami, Florida. [Marco Bello/Reuters]
All states except 10 show an increase in newly confirmed cases in the past 14 days, according to data collected by the COVID Tracking Project, a voluntary organization that collects evidence information. The outbreaks are more severe in Arizona, Texas and Florida, which along with California have re-closed or suppressed bars, restaurants and movie theaters.
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Nebraska and South Dakota were the only states outside the Northeast with a downward trend in cases.
While some of the increases can be explained in part by expanded testing, other indicators are also grim, including hospitalizations and positive test rates. In the past two weeks, the percentage of positive tests in Georgia, Kansas, and Tennessee has doubled. In Idaho and Nevada, it has tripled.
The spike in cases comes as Americans head to a holiday weekend of July 4 that health officials warn could add fuel to the virus by drawing large crowds. Many municipalities have canceled fireworks. California and Florida beaches have been closed.
Florida reported more than 10,000 new confirmed cases of coronavirus for the first time on Thursday. That’s six times the daily count for less than a month ago. The state also reported 67 deaths for the second time in a week. Deaths per day increased approximately 30 percent from two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the government reported that unemployment in the United States fell to 11.1 percent in June, as the economy added a solid 4.8 million jobs.
President Donald Trump has touted a strong U.S. economy as one of his presidency’s biggest accomplishments, although critics say an economic approach during the coronavirus pandemic is dangerous. [Carlos Barria/Reuters]
But the data was collected during the second week of June, before many states began to backtrack on the restart of their economies.
Several northeastern states have seen new infections slow significantly, including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Jersey, allowing their Atlantic City casinos to reopen Thursday, albeit without smoking, drinking, or eating.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump seemed confident that the virus would soon go away, and he told Fox Business: “I think at some point that will just go away, I hope.”
The United States has reported at least 2.7 million cases and more than 128,000 deaths, the highest number in the world. Globally, there have been 10.7 million confirmed cases and more than 516,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins count. The actual number is believed to be significantly higher, in part due to limited evidence and minor cases that have been lost.
Global growth
Other countries are also reporting record numbers of cases.
South Africa recorded more than 8,100 new cases, a one-day record. The country has the majority of cases in Africa, more than 159,000, as it loosens what had been one of the strictest blockades in the world.
“We have entered a treacherous new phase in the life cycle of this pandemic,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa warned in a broadcast to the nation.
The United States has 4% of the world population, but 25% of its coronavirus cases https://t.co/eisOOFwXxX pic.twitter.com/5tsoGOQJyi
– CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 2, 2020
India, the world’s second most populous country with more than 1.3 billion people, topped 600,000 infections Thursday after more than 19,000 new cases were reported. India has reported almost 100,000 new cases in the past four days alone.
Many industries and businesses have reopened across India, although schools, universities, and movie theaters are still closed.
On the medical front, the World Health Organization said smoking is linked to an increased risk of serious illness and death from the coronavirus in hospitalized patients, although it could not specify exactly how much greater the danger could be.
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