(CNN) –– As the cases of coronavirus in U.S –the country reaches 4 million cases of covid-19 and the increasing daily rate of confirmed cases and hospitalizations suggest the virus is far from under control – medical experts urge political leaders to close the country and start again to contain the pandemic.
At least 4,038,748 cases of coronavirus and 144,304 deaths have been registered in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University data. As the numbers increase, more than 150 prominent medical experts, scientists, teachers, nurses, and others have signed a letter to political leaders urging them to close the country and begin again to contain the growing coronavirus pandemic.
“Right now we are on the path to losing more than 200,000 American lives by November 1. However, in many states people can drink in bars, cut their hair, eat inside restaurants, get a tattoo, get a massage, and do a myriad of other normal, enjoyable, but not essential, activities, ”the letter says.
The coronavirus will become one of the leading causes of death in the United StatesMortality statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told CNN by email.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates also raised the alarm Thursday during a CNN virtual coronavirus forum.
“Infection rates in the United States are deeply concerning because the summer, when it’s warmer, when people are outdoors, it’s actually easier to reduce infection than it is in the fall,” said Gates, who is helping to fund the development of the coronavirus vaccine efforts through its Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “So we are in a very difficult situation.”
How are states handling major outbreaks?
As the nation marks another bleak milestone, states across the country are struggling with local outbreaks.
New Mexico, Hawaii and Missouri reported daily new case records Thursday.
For the fourth consecutive day, Los Angeles County reported more than 2,000 additional confirmed cases, Health Chief Muntu Davis announced at a press conference.
And Alaska officials have begun isolating, monitoring, and caring for 96 employees at a seafood processing plant in Seward, according to a press release from the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services. CNN has reached out to the company, OBI Seafoods, for comment.
Citing an increasing transmission rate, Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced that the state is tightening restrictions on restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters, weddings and funerals.
“If we let the virus have even more control, it will have an even more devastating impact in the long term on our economy, and certainly on our health and the lives of our loved ones,” he said at a press conference.
What about the new school year?
The resurgence of cases, and probably the continued presence of the virus, has fueled debate about how to proceed with the new school year.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday that the state will delay classes in person until at least Labor Day (which is celebrated on September 7 in the United States) as cases break records in the state.
In contrast, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said his state will present a plan to reopen schools Tuesday.
“Our children need to be in school because children are not only suffering academically, emotionally, mentally… There are several working families who need their children to be in school so that they can continue working. There are many reasons why schools can and should be open. As long as we do it in a way that protects teachers and protects students at the same time we believe we can do it, ”said Lee.
The new CDC guide is strongly in favor of sending students back to the classroom, saying that the available evidence shows that the coronavirus does not pose such a great risk to children. With the services and instruction offered at the school, the CDC guide says that virtual learning can be a disadvantage for American students.
“It can lead to severe loss of learning, and the need for in-person instruction is particularly important for students with increased behavioral needs,” said the CDC statement.
Learning more about the risks to mothers and babies
Researchers are still learning how the virus affects certain groups, with results that sometimes change the previous orientation.
The new guide from the American Academy of Pediatrics, released Wednesday, said mothers infected with the virus can stay in the same room as their newborns if safety measures are taken.
“What we now know is that the risk of the newborn becoming infected at birth is low when safety precautions are taken to protect the baby,” said the guide’s lead author, Dr. Karen Puopolo, in a release. “In fact, the short-term risk appears to be no greater if the mother and baby are housed together using infection control measures compared to physically separating the baby in a separate room from the mother.”
A study published Thursday in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health supported that guide.
The researchers reported that there were no cases of viral transmission among 120 babies born to 116 mothers with covid-19, even when both shared a room and the mothers nursed them.
– CNN’s Marisa Peryer, Jennifer Henderson, Jacqueline Howard, Eileen McMenamin, Shelby Lin Erdman, and Janine Mack contributed to this report.
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