COVID-19 deaths continue to increase in many U.S. states, sparking fears of a second wave as states relax lockdown protocols and families headed to the beach over the Memorial Day weekend. Protests across the country over the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis have also stoked those worries.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, 19 states have increasing case rates, several of which have seen record or near-record highs. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the U.S. has recorded over 2,029,037 cases, along with 113,924 deaths, as of 12:45 p.m. on June 12, 2020, with about 1,000 deaths reported each day.
Texas cases surging
Judge Lina Hidalgo, the top elected official in Harris County, Texas, which includes the city of Houston, recorded its highest ever number of new coronavirus cases this week. Harris County is the third-most populous county in the United States.
As of June 8, forecasts suggest the total number of #COVID19 deaths will exceed 124,000 by July 4. Additionally, 6 states will likely see the number of new deaths reported between June 8 and July 4 exceed the number reported over the last 4 weeks: pic.twitter.com/qVWFMxwoAR
— CDC (@CDCgov) June 12, 2020
At a news conference on Thursday, Judge Hidalgo warned that the county “may be approaching the precipice of a disaster.”
A spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services told CNN Thursday that there were just over 2,000 new cases, warning, “This is still a serious situation.”
Judge Hidalgo announced a new, color-coded COVID-19 threat level assessment designed to help provide the public with guidance on how to protect themselves. The announcement follows the expiration of the county’s “Stay Home, Work Safe” order that expired on June 10. It has four levels the public should be aware of and follow.
Level 1 – Severe (red) Stay Home
Level 2 – Significant (orange) Minimize All Contacts
Level 3 – Moderate (yellow) Stay Vigilant
Level 4 – Minimal (green) Resume Normal Contacts
Hidalgo also noted that the county will have a constant indicator dial at ReadyHarris.org. As of Friday, June 12, the current threat level is orange, per the Ready Harris site.
New York coronavirus cases continue to drop
Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York says that only 42 deaths related to Covid-19 were recorded on Thursday. “Since we have reopened, the number has continued to go down… because we have been disciplined in our reopening,” he said.
Cuomo also said the state has the lowest rate of transmission saying, “the virus is spreading at the lowest rate of transmission in the state of New York of every state in America, that is incredible.”
This is very good news and is due to the careful and disciplined way state officials handled the outbreak and the public’s response to the protocols that were put in place.
The U.S. Government’s take on second wave of COVID-19
The Dow Jones Industrial Average tanked yesterday over fears of a surge in coronavirus cases and a not-so-rosy economic outlook from the Federal Reserve. The Trump Administration’s economic adviser Larry Kudlow was quick to speak out, attempting to calm the market. claiming there “is no second wave.”
Kudlow made the claim on “Fox & Friends” on Friday, saying “There is no emergency. There is no second wave. I don’t know where that got started on Wall Street,” even as cases of Covid-19 are spiking in more than a dozen states, reports Politico.
In the meantime, anxious to get back to his life, President Trump announced his planned campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma for June 19. This particular day is also Juneteenth, an African American holiday also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day and Cel-Liberation Day.
Trump has come under criticism for holding his rally in Tulsa, a city where one of the darkest days in American race relations played out. The Tulsa Race Massacre occurred over a period of 18 hours on May 31-June 1, 1921. Hundreds of people were killed by a white mob and thousands were left homeless.
