COVID-19 cases in the U.S. rose by more than 47,000 on Tuesday according to a Reuters tally, the biggest one-day spike since the start of the pandemic. Commenting these developments, the government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, warned that number could soon double.
California, Texas and Arizona have emerged as new U.S. epicenters of the pandemic, reporting record increases in COVID-19 cases.
“Clearly we are not in total control right now. I am very concerned because it could get very bad,” Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a U.S. Senate committee.
Fauci added that the daily increase in new cases could reach 100,000 unless a nationwide push was made to tamp down the resurgent virus. “We can’t just focus on those areas that are having the surge. It puts the entire country at risk,” he said.
Fauci said there was no guarantee of a vaccine, although early data had been promising: “Hopefully there will be doses available by the beginning of next year.”
COVID-19 cases more than doubled in June in at least 10 states, including Texas and Florida, a Reuters tally showed. In parts of Texas and Arizona, hospital intensive care beds for COVID-19 patients are in short supply.
More than 126,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and millions have lost their jobs as states and major cities ordered residents to stay home and businesses closed. The economy contracted sharply in the first quarter and is expected to crater in the second.
On Tuesday, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut added travelers from California and seven other states to those who must self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Texas and Florida were named last week.
South Carolina has also emerged as a hot spot, reporting a record single-day increase of 1,755 cases on Tuesday. In Texas, where the number of new cases jumped to a one-day record of 6,975 on Tuesday, Houston hospitals said beds were quickly filling up with COVID-19 patients.
Be the first to comment