As the states across the US grapple with a renewed wave of coronavirus infections, the country has hit a new daily record. According to the official figures, the local health authorities in the states recorded a total of 83,010 new confirmed cases.
Even though due to better patient care, the mortality rate in the country is falling gradually, hospital admissions are rising significantly. The US hit the latest milestone as the pharmaceutical giants, including AstraZeneca, resumed their vaccine trials after the approval from American drug regulators.
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Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the nation in the Northern Hemisphere is at a critical juncture. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the global health agency, said that the next months are tough for some countries which are on a “dangerous track.”
According to the data compiled by John Hopkins University, nearly 8.5 million confirmed cases have been recorded across the country since the pandemic first broke out in the US. But Friday’s daily increase broke all previous records. The health authorities recorded as many as 441,541 new infections over the last week – the biggest increase since July this year.
Furthermore, during the last week, the coronavirus-related fatalities have also increased, but it remained far below the numbers recorded in the country’s peak in April. With new infections soaring in Montana, Wisconsin, and North Dakota, the US Midwest states remain the country’s worst-hit region.
On Friday, the other states, including Indiana and Illinois, also recorded a surge in infections. Ohio, the key state in the upcoming presidential election, recorded their worst daily increase for the third day. Moreover, in Utah, the infections reached a record high, and the authorities have made facemasks mandatory in nearly 21 counties. Gary Herbert, the governor of the state, warned that the impacts of the coronavirus have seriously disturbed the local hospital capacity.
With just months ahead of the upcoming presidential election, the coronavirus outbreak has become a key policy issue. In their second presidential debate held in Nashville, both Trump and Biden clashed on the issue and presented starkly different policies to combat the outbreak.
While talking at a campaign rally in Florida, President Trump told his supporters that the virus will soon end and accused Biden of overstating the pandemic outbreak in the US. Meanwhile, speaking to an event in Delaware, Joe Biden told his followers that Trump had already given up on containing the coronavirus.
