After difficult weeks that have left hospitals in trouble, some states in the north central region of the United States are beginning to see a decline in new cases of coronavirus. But signs of improvement have been overshadowed by the rapid spread of infection on both coasts.
States such as Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska have seen declines in the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks. However, all entities continue to experience an alarming number of deaths and hospitalizations due to the previous spike in cases.
As low temperatures drive people indoors, where the virus spreads more easily, there is no guarantee that improvement will last, doctors and public health officials said.
“We have a vaccine in the works, but that doesn’t change the big picture,” Dr. James Lawler of the University of Nebraska Medical Center told the Omaha World-Herald. “Things could very easily get worse.”
But he and others are encouraged by the numbers. In Iowa, for example, the number of new coronavirus cases reported on a daily basis has declined in the past two weeks from nearly 1,800 to about 1,250. In Nebraska, it has dropped from about 1,800 a day to just under 1,300.
“Fingers crossed right now,” said emergency physician Stacey Marlow of UnityPoint Allen Hospital in Waterloo, Iowa. “The COVID patients that I am treating are very, very sick. But there are fewer of them. ”
Deaths from the virus in Iowa have continued to skyrocket to an average of 79 a day, compared with 28 deaths a day on average two weeks ago.
The hope, of course, is that the decline in infections will translate into a drop in deaths, but that could take time. Many of those who are dying of COVID-19 could have fallen ill weeks ago.
Nationally, the death toll from coronavirus has exceeded 300,000, with more than 16 million confirmed cases. On average, the United States registers more than 2,400 deaths and more than 215,000 new infections a day. An influential model from the University of Washington pointed out that there could be 502,000 deaths by April 1, even with the vaccine.
Lawler said more Nebraska residents appear to be following warnings to limit eating out and wearing masks. That’s also driven by a mask-wearing order that was recently approved in some Nebraska cities, he said.
In a call with governors this week, Dr. Deborah Birx, who is a member of the White House coronavirus response task force, said progress in states in the north central region of the country is being outpaced by a “deteriorating situation” on both coasts.
Nationwide, the number of people in hospital with the virus has reached an all-time high of more than 110,000, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
Meanwhile, in California, the availability of beds in intensive care units is declining as more than 31,000 new cases a day are averaged.
And in New York City, authorities on Monday banned restaurants from having indoor dining service as the number of infections continues to rise. City and state authorities have warned that a more extensive lockdown may be necessary if things continue to get worse.
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