(CNN) — Almost 1 in 100 Americans tested positive for covid-19 while the virus is unleashed uncontrollably throughout the country.
U.S has registered more than 3.3 million cases of coronavirus since the pandemic began, according to Universidad Johns Hopkins, and at least 135,205 Americans have died. Worldwide, 12.9 million people have tested positive for the virus.
Despite another grim milestone, the U.S. figures may just be the tip of the iceberg, as experts have often stressed that infections could be roughly 10 times higher what is reported, and that many are not tracked. And nearly 40% of infected Americans show no symptoms, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In the United States, both local and state leaders have said in recent weeks that Americans have registered new cases largely because they have chosen to resume meetings and going out to bars. In many statesThe average age of new cases has changed and has been decreasing, with more young people testing positive more than ever since the start of the pandemic.
In Louisiana, authorities reported more than 1,300 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday: 99% of which were spread through the community and more than a third of these infections were in people age 29 and younger, the authorities said. authorities. Governor John Bel Edwards announced that a mandate to wear face masks on a mandatory basis will take effect on Monday morning, after an increase in cases. Many of those new cases date back to meetings that include informal backyard meetings, the governor said.
(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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Bars in the state will be closed to consume alcohol on-site, after at least 36 outbreaks and more than 400 cases date back to bars in the state.
At least 36 states now have some sort of mask requirement order, and more than half of U.S. states have paused or reversed their reopening plans in an effort to stem the spread of the virus, which some experts now say is out of control.
But the general director of Health, Jerome Adams said the country could change the increase in cases in “two (a) three weeks.”
This, if “we can get a critical mass of people who cover their faces, who practice at least two meters of social distance, who do the things we know to be effective,” Adams said on CBS ‘”Face the Nation.”
However, precautions have been taken with a strong reaction from many officials and residents, and some governors have stayed away from orders to wear face masks across the state. In Florida, where there is no statewide mask-wear mandate, health officials reported a staggering record of new cases in a single day: 15,300.
And in Atlanta, where the mayor tried to return the city to its first phase of reopening to combat an increase in cases, the governor criticized the decision saying it was “non-binding and was legally unenforceable“.
“This is everywhere”
At least 35 states are seeing an increase in new cases compared to the previous week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Across the country, health officials are sounding the alarm about the number of infected patients seeking medical attention.
In Miami Beach, hospitals are reaching full capacity, the mayor told CNN on Sunday night.
“We are going to have to start moving regular beds to ICU beds. We are clearly under pressure right now, ”said Mayor Dan Gelber. “There is a total disconnect between what is happening and what is being said from Washington and even Tallahassee and what is happening in some of these communities here.”
Across the state, there are more than 7,500 patients hospitalized with the virus, state data showed Sunday. In Orange County, Florida, 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 Giménez said the virus was spreading in the community and could increase the death toll.
“Right now, this is everywhere,” said Giménez, according to WPLG, affiliate of CNN. “We have seen that our hospital beds and our capacity are beginning to run out because we have many people who are in the hospital.
“What we have to do is reduce that rate of infections, so that we don’t get to the point where we are overloading our health system in Miami-Dade County, and then we have deaths unnecessary. “
In Los Angeles County, health officials reported more than 3,300 new cases on Sunday, the second-highest daily case count in the past week. There are nearly 2,100 people hospitalized, a number “substantially higher” than hospitalizations a month ago, authorities said.
And in Phoenix, the mayor told CNN that health professionals who are “tired” and concerned about additional strains in hospitals stemming from the July 4 holiday, even as the city is already seeing a record in the use of respirators.
In an effort to prevent further spread, Mayor Kate Gallego said she joined other leaders across the state in urging the governor to expand security. Precautions in response to the virus.
Is it safe for children to return to class?
Many parts of the country remain divided on what is the right path, especially when it comes to schools.
Educators across the country have voiced strong opposition to students returning to school amid a wave of cases across the country, but leaders, including the president and secretary of education, have said it is a priority that the children go back to class.
President Donald Trump He said last week that he was putting pressure on governors to reopen schools. And Sunday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos declined to clarify whether school districts should follow CDC guidelines and made no guarantees about how teachers would be protected.
“Children must go back to school and school leaders across the country must make plans to do just that,” said DeVos. “There will be an exception to the rule. But the rule should be that children return to school this fall. And where there are small outbreaks or critical points, it should be resolved school by school or case by case ”.
Florida has announced that will reopen schools next month. In Arkansas, the governor told CNN on Sunday that the first day of school has been delayed from August 13 to the week of August 24 to ensure teachers and parents are prepared for the new regulations and have enough personal protective equipment.
“We are committed to providing classroom instruction next year,” said Governor Asa Hutchinson. “But we know we have to have a combined environment of choice because it is going to be a challenge if there is even a limited amount of community outreach.”
While local leaders in the United States have announced adjustments to school hours, most governors have not announced changes or requirements at the state level.
–– CNN’s Stella Chan, Kay Jones, Mitch McCluskey, Artemis Moshtaghian, and Hollie Silverman contributed to this report.
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