Coronavirus cases are climbing in 20 states, with 10 states reporting single-day records in the past week
At least 10 states reported new single-day records for coronavirus cases since last Friday, a trend that experts warn is due to the rapid spread of the virus, not merely increased testing. Most worryingly, Oklahoma reported a record-high 450 cases on Thursday, just two days before President Trump is set to hold a rally in the 20,000-person BOK Center in Tulsa, where masks are not required.
In addition to Oklahoma, the states of Nevada, Florida, California, South Carolina, Oregon, Texas, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Arizona all experienced record-highs between last Friday and Thursday this week. Arizona in particular is alarming, as, per capita, it has now "surpassed Lombardi, Italy," according to Harvard University epidemiologist Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding. Ventilated COVID-19 patients have reportedly quadrupled in the state since its stay-at-home order ended on May 15, and the state is apparently dangerously close to running out of hospital beds, The Daily Beast reports.
Overall, coronavirus cases are climbing in 20 states, and decreasing in 20 states plus Washington, D.C., The New York Times reports. Cases have remained mostly the same in 10 states. This week, the University of Washington revised its forecast to project more than 200,000 American deaths from COVID-19 by October 1.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"It really does feel like the U.S. has given up," Siouxsie Wiles, an infectious-diseases specialist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, told The Washington Post in an interview published Friday.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
'Musk's reliance on China draws rising scrutiny'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Biba: the story of a 'legendary emporium'
The Week Recommends Brand's 60th anniversary is being marked with retrospective celebrating the 'iconic shop's cultural importance'
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
How the Russia-Ukraine conflict has spread to Africa
The Explainer Ukraine is attempting to strengthen its alliances on the continent to counter Russia's growing presence
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
US bans final type of asbestos
Speed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Seattle Children's Hospital sues Texas over 'sham' demand for transgender medical records
Speed Read Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subpoenaed records of any Texan who received gender-affirming care at the Washington hospital
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Afghanistan has a growing female suicide problem
Speed Read The Taliban has steadily whittled away women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan over the past 2 years, prompting a surge in depression and suicide
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US life expectancy rose in 2022 but not to pre-pandemic levels
Speed Read Life expectancy is slowly crawling back up
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Vallance diaries: Boris Johnson 'bamboozled' by Covid science
Speed Read Then PM struggled to get his head around key terms and stats, chief scientific advisor claims
By The Week UK Published
-
An increasing number of dog owners are 'vaccine hesitant' about rabies
Speed Read A new survey points to canine vaccine hesitancy
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Anger may be a powerful motivator for tough goals, new study suggests
Speed Read Keeping your cool might actually be less efficient than letting your anger drive you
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
A tropical skin disease is making the rounds in the US
Speed Read Leishmaniasis is endemic to the country and can cause ulcers and disfiguration
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published