More than 5.3 million people across every state, Washington, D.C., and four territories have tested positive for the coronavirus, which has killed more than 169,000 people nationwide
A drive-through COVID-19 screening site in Yorba Linda, California. Photo: MediaNews Group via Getty Images We’re committed to keeping our readers informed.
Though cases had been on a downward trajectory after the widespread lockdowns in March and April, in recent months, the virus has spread rapidly — especially in regions of the country that were early to reopen, including the South and West. July saw over 1.9 million new infections — almost twice as many as any other month — and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation is now predicting that the country will see about 220,000 deaths by November.
How long will it take to reopen the country? The widespread lockdowns of March and April have had serious economic consequences, and about 30 million Americans — one in five workers — are currently collecting unemployment benefits. Researchers at Harvard have estimated that nearly 110,000 small businesses closed permanently between early March and early May, and during the same period, an estimated 5.4 million American workers lost their health insurance.
On a private call with governors on June 15, Vice-President Mike Pence downplayed the recent outbreaks, which he described as “intermittent” spikes, and encouraged governors to tell citizens that rising case numbers were the result of expanded testing. Soon after, President Trump reiterated this position, saying that he believes testing is “overrated” and “makes us look bad.” However, public-health experts have said that the country needs to do even more testing to control the outbreak.
As testing capacity has improved in recent weeks, the Times reports that a number of laboratories are struggling to meet increased demand; in New York, widespread delays have meant that thousands of people have had to wait a week or longer for test results. Testifying before Congress in June, federal health officials said that the U.S. currently has the capacity to do 15 million tests a month, which they expect to increase to 40 to 50 million by the fall. Additionally, the U.S.
Last month, the Trump administration ordered hospitals to send all COVID-19 patient information to the Department of Health and Human Services instead of to the CDC, raising concerns from health experts about transparency, and whether data may be withheld from the public. A day later, CNN reported that some data had already been removed from the CDC website, including current ICU bed occupancy, health care worker staffing, and personal protective equipment supply and availability.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The US has reported more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths nearly every day this monthThe coronavirus pandemic has brought countries to a standstill. In many places, as countries reopen, Covid-19 cases are on the rise. Follow here for the latest.
Read more »
UK daily figures show 1,040 new COVID-19 casesThe United Kingdom recorded 1,040 new positive tests for COVID-19, the government said on Sunday, the sixth day in a row there have been more than 1,000 infections in daily figures.
Read more »
Indonesia reports 2,081 new coronavirus infections, 79 deaths: covid-19 task forceIndonesia on Sunday reported 2,081 cases of the new coronavirus and 79 COVID-19 deaths, according to data from Indonesia's COVID-19 governmental task force.
Read more »
Coronavirus updates: CDC says rate of COVID cases in children 'steadily increasing'At least 169,423 people have died of COVID-19 in the U.S.
Read more »
Coronavirus updates: Significant number of Navy midshipmen test positive on return to schoolNEW: A significant number of returning midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis have tested positive for COVID-19, a Navy source told ABC News.
Read more »
U.S. Sees Decline In COVID-19 TestingNPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks to Dr. Ashish Jha, director of Harvard's Global Health Institute, about consequences of decreased coronavirus testing in the U.S..
Read more »