Nearly 1 out of every 100 Americans has tested positive for Covid-19
(CNN) — The surge in coronavirus cases continues to rage uncontrolled across the United States as nearly one out of every 100 Americans has tested positive for Covid-19.
The US has recorded more than 3.3 million coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University, and at least 135,205 Americans have died. Across the world, 12.9 million people have tested positive for the virus.
In the US, both local and state leaders have said in recent weeks new cases are largely driven by Americans who have opted to resume gatherings and outings to bars. In many states, the average age of new cases has shifted downward, with more young people testing positive than ever before since the start of the pandemic.
In Louisiana, officials reported more than 1,300 new coronavirus cases Sunday — 99% of which were spread through the community and more than a third of which were in people aged 29 or younger, officials said. Gov. John Bel Edwards announced a mask mandate will go into effect Monday morning following an uptick in cases. Many of the new cases are being traced to gatherings including informal backyard get-togethers, the governor said.
Bars in the state will be closed for on-site alcohol consumption — after at least 36 outbreaks and more than 400 cases were traced back to bars in the state.
At least 36 states now have some type of mask requirement order in place, and more than half of US states have paused or rolled back their reopening plans in efforts to contain the spread of the virus, which some experts have said is now out of control.
Precautions have been met with heavy backlash from many officials and residents and some governors have stayed away from statewide mask orders. In Florida, where there’s no statewide mask mandate, health officials reported Sunday a staggering record of new cases in a single day: 15,300.
Miami Mayor Francis Surarez said on CNN’s “New Day” on Monday that the numbers are “out of control.”
Americans need to follow the rules on social distancing and wearing masks, which are required for citizens in public in the city of Miami, the mayor said.
“If they don’t follow the rules, things are going to continue the way they are going,” he said.
If Florida were a country, it would be the fourth-highest in the world in reporting new cases. The state would rank 10th in terms of having the most cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins.
And in Atlanta, where the mayor attempted to revert the city back to its first phase of reopening to combat a rise in cases, Gov. Brian Kemp slammed the decision saying it was “both non-binding and legally unenforceable.”
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms said on “New Day” that Kemp had not criticized other cities in Georgia for issuing mask mandates.
“I think that it’s unfortunate that when we know the science says wearing a mask is one of the easiest ways to stop the spread, that we had the leader to our state taking exception with it,” she said.
Miami’s Suarez said officials need to have a consistent message at the local, state and national levels.
“A lot of the decisions have been pushed down to local officials that probably should have been done at the federal and state levels,” he said.
US Surgeon General Jerome Adams said the country could turn the rise of cases around in “two (to) three weeks.”
But he added that is based on whether “we can get a critical mass of people wearing face coverings, practicing at least 6 feet of social distancing, doing the things we know are effective,” he said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
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‘This thing is just about everywhere’
The rising US numbers could just be the tip of the iceberg, as experts have often highlighted infections could be around 10 times higher than what is reported, as many go untraced. And nearly 40% of Americans who were infected show no symptoms, according to new estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At least 35 states are seeing a rise in new cases compared to the previous week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Across the country, health officials are sounding the alarm over the number of infected patients seeking medical care.
In Miami Beach, hospitals are reaching full capacity, the mayor told CNN Sunday night.
“We’re going to have to start moving regular beds into ICU beds. We’re clearly being strained at this point,” Mayor Dan Gelber said. “There’s a total disconnect between what is happening and being said out of Washington and even Tallahassee and what is happening in some of these communities right here.”
In the past 13 days, Miami-Dade County has seen a 65% increase in the number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized, a 67% increase in the number of ICU beds being used and a staggering 129% increase in the use of ventilators, according to the latest data released by Miami-Dade County government.
Across the state, there are more than 7,500 patients hospitalized with the virus, state data showed Sunday. In Florida’s Orange County, where Disney World reopened over the weekend, more than 540 patients were in hospitals.
In a plea for residents to do their part, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said the virus was spreading in the community and could drive the death toll much higher.
“Right now, this thing is just about everywhere,” he said, according to CNN affiliate WPLG. “We’ve seen that our hospital beds and our capacity is starting to dry up because we have so many people that are in the hospital.
“What we need to do is drive that positivity rate down, so we don’t get to the point where we are overtaxing our health system in Miami-Dade County, and then we have needless deaths.”
In Los Angeles County, health officials reported more than 3,300 new cases Sunday — the second highest daily case count in the last week. There are nearly 2,100 people hospitalized, a number “substantially higher” than hospitalizations a month ago, officials said.
And in Phoenix, the mayor told CNN health care professionals are reporting they are “already tired” and worried about additional strains on hospitals stemming from the July 4 holiday, even as the city is already seeing record-breaking ventilator usage.
In efforts to prevent further spread, Mayor Kate Gallego said she’s joined other leaders across the state to urge the governor to expand safety precautions in response to the virus.
Are children safe to return to class?
Many parts of the country remain torn about what the right way forward is, especially when it comes to schools.
Educators throughout the country have voiced strong opposition to students returning to school amid a surge of cases nationwide, but leaders including the president and education secretary have said getting children back in class is a priority.
A source close to the Coronavirus Task Force told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, “With regard to schools, each community will have to evaluate the status of the outbreak in their particular area. While there are no hard-and-fast rules, if a particular community has had a five-day sustained increase in community spread, they probably should not be opening schools until they pass through the basic gating criteria of a 14-day downward trajectory. That guidance has not changed.”
President Donald Trump said last week he was putting pressure on governors to reopen schools. And on Sunday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos refused to clarify whether school districts should follow guidelines set out by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and offered no reassurances about how teachers would be protected.
“Kids need to be back in school, and school leaders across the country need to be making plans to do just that,” she said. “There is going to be the exception to the rule. But the rule should be that kids go back to school this fall. And where there are little flare-ups or hotspots, that can be dealt with on a school-by-school or a case-by-case basis.”
Florida has announced it’s requiring schools to reopen next month. In Arkansas, the governor told CNN on Sunday the first day of schools has been pushed from August 13 to the week of August 24 to ensure that teachers and parents are prepared for new regulations and have sufficient protective gear.
“We’re committed to having in-classroom instruction next year,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said. “But we know we have to have a blended environment of options because it’s going to be a challenge if there’s even a limited amount of community spread.”
While local leaders across the US have announced adjustments to school schedules, most governors have stopped short of announcing statewide changes or requirements.
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