President Trump’s positive coronavirus diagnosis has now been reduced to a number. He is just one of the close to 42,400 cases of coronavirus being recorded across the nation every single day this past week.
It has been eight months since the virus first reached the United States, and there are already indications that the fall is not going to go gently into the winter season. Two NFL games had to be postponed this weekend after players on three teams tested positive. Several hospitals in Wisconsin have run low on space, and experts are warning of a likely surge in infections during the colder months ahead, reports the Associated Press,
The U.S. now has the unwanted distinction of leading the world in coronavirus cases, with 7,333,902 cases, and with deaths, now very close to 209,000, as of 7:23 a.m. on October 3.
People who have COVID-19 but no symptoms have the same amount of virus in their nose and throat as those with symptoms and may play a major role in spreading the disease, a new study reveals. pic.twitter.com/uBoef0vfYj
— WebMD (@WebMD) October 2, 2020
“The statistics are so mindboggling, they make us numb to the reality of just how painful, unacceptable and absurd this is,” said Dr. Reed Tuckson, board chairman of the nonpartisan Health Policy Alliance in Washington. “Every single American must double down on their vigilance. If we don’t, then we are being foolhardy and irresponsible.”
At least 24 states saw a rise on coronavirus cases this past week of at least 10 percent above the week before, while 19 states are holding steady. The increase in cases has put the nation’s seven-day average of new daily cases at 42,400 – over 20 percent higher than they were on September 12. At that time, cases were at a two month low of 34,300.
According to CNN, the states reporting rising numbers of new cases are Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
You might notice that sun-belt states are not on the list of states seeing an increase in cases, They were hot spots in the summer for the virus. And a number of those states have decided to loosen restrictions, despite warnings from public health officials to the contrary.
Mississippi’s governor ended a mask requirement, South Carolina’s governor said he would ease capacity restrictions on restaurants and New Orleans bars were given the greenlight to sell carry-out drinks. Florida’s governor issued an executive order that could best be described as putting out a sign at the state line saying “Florida is now open for business.”
Arlene Mathis, 65, was one of several Black volunteers at an event aimed at getting people to register to vote. Almost everyone wore masks. “I don’t know that we would have to have the president affected by this to be awakened by it because so many people have died and continue to die every day,” Mathis said. She is hoping that the president”s illness will change people’s behavior.
“It’s an indication that nobody is immune,” Mathis said. “It goes high, it goes low, it goes everywhere. So hopefully, them being affected by it will have an impact.”
