U.S. Coronavirus Cases Have Gone Up 80% In The Past Two Weeks
Most of the increases are coming from the South and West
New coronavirus cases have gone up 80 percent in the past two weeks, according to The New York Times, a frightening trend for many reasons — especially in states that are in a reopening phase.
The increase in cases has mostly immediately impacted the South and West, where states like Texas, Arizona, and Florida are halting reopening of bars, beaches, and restaurants to hopefully slow the spread of the virus. More than 4,600 new cases of the virus were found on Tuesday in Arizona, the highest single-day total for the state. California’s case count is now over 220,000. The death rate is not spiking yet because death has been happening about a month after testing but experts are estimating another 15,000 deaths in the next month as a result.
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci warned that the number of new infections in the U.S. could more than double to 100,000 a day if the country fails to reverse course, noting that the new surges in the South and West “puts the entire country at risk,” CNN reported. “We are now having 40-plus thousand new cases a day,” Dr. Fauci said. “I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around. And so I am very concerned.”
The Midwest, which in June started seeing declines in virus cases, is now seeing the beginnings of a resurgence. Additionally, six states in the Midwest have shown increasing case numbers. Currently, only two states are reporting a decline in new coronavirus cases compared to last week: Connecticut and Rhode Island. States like Kansas and New York are requiring masks in public when social distancing is not possible and others are mandating them inside stores and restaurants.
“If the spread of this virus remained at a low level, more testing should show a lower positivity — there simply wouldn’t be as many cases to pick up with testing,” said Mike DeWine, the Governor of Ohio who has now asked for federal help in his state. “Instead, the creeping up of our positivity rate even as we are doing more testing means that we are likely picking up signs of broader community spread.”
Former CDC Director Tom Frieden echoed that, telling Fox News on Sunday, “As a doctor, a scientist, an epidemiologist, I can tell you with 100% certainty that in most states where you’re seeing an increase, it is a real increase. It is not more tests; it is more spread of the virus.”
Information about COVID-19 is rapidly changing, and Scary Mommy is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. With news being updated so frequently, some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For this reason, we are encouraging readers to use online resources from local public health departments, the Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization to remain as informed as possible.
