The number of patients with COVID-19 in the United States has exceeded 5 million: 40% of them are in 5 states

On Sunday, August 9, the number of coronavirus infections in the United States exceeded 5 million cases - and, as experts have previously emphasized, the real number of infections could be many times higher. Writes about this MSN.

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This number means that the country accounts for about a quarter of the cases of the virus worldwide and also tops the list with the most deaths in the world.

The speed at which infections are rising: It took the country 99 days to reach 1 million, 43 days to reach 2 million, 28 days to reach 3 million and 15 days to exceed 4 million. On July 23, the figure jumped to 5 million in 17 days. .

“This is a very sobering number,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University.

“Huge numbers of cases, very high numbers of hospitalizations and deaths,” Schaffner said. “In most of the country, the virus is spreading unchecked.”

The pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down and deaths continue to rise: More than 1000 deaths have been recorded daily over the past five days, according to Johns Hopkins University Covid Tracker.

Moreover, more than 40% of infections in the United States occur in only 5 states: California, Florida, Texas, New York and Georgia.

New York, once the country's epicenter, has overtaken several states that have seen a surge in cases in recent months. On Sunday, August 9, the state announced that the rate of positive test results for COVID-19 per day was 0,78%, which is the lowest daily rate since the beginning of the pandemic.

“Our daily numbers remain low and stable despite rising infection rates across the country and even in our region—and we had our lowest single-day positive rate since the pandemic began,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “This is an incredible achievement, thanks to the hard work of New Yorkers.”

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Florida reported 6 new cases on Sunday, Aug. 190, marking the 9th straight day the state has reported more than 13 cases in one day. There have been more than 6000 cases among state residents, according to the state Department of Health.

More than 8 cases were reported in California on Saturday, Aug. 7000, health officials said, for a total of more than 545. The number of hospital admissions across the state is declining and about 000 patients are now hospitalized, 5 fewer than two. weeks ago.

In Texas, the governor extended the state of emergency after the state reported the highest rate of positive test results in seven days: 19,41%. The previous high of 17,43% was recorded around mid-July. More than 481 infections have been reported across the state, and about 000 remain in hospitals.

Schools will reopen

Studies have shown that older children can spread coronavirus in the same way as adults, and another study found that children under 5 have higher viral loads than older children and adults, which also raises questions about how likely that they are passing the virus on to someone else.

While some US officials say the infection poses less risk to a younger population, a 7-year-old boy died in Georgia last week without any major illnesses, making him the youngest victim in the state. Earlier this month, two teenagers died in Florida from coronavirus-related complications, bringing the state's total number of minors to death from the virus to seven.

Cuomo said that with a positive rate of less than 1%, New York is poised to reopen all school districts in the state, adding plans could change if infection rates rise again ahead of a planned reopening.

Local school districts will decide what their reopening will look like, whether they decide to return to full-time education, distance learning, or opt for a hybrid model.

The New York City Department of Education will offer a mix of face-to-face and distance learning. Parents can also opt for distance learning.

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Department of Education spokesman Richard Carrance said schools will introduce a number of precautions, such as wearing face masks, temperature screenings, and one-way corridors.

“If the positivity rate begins to gradually increase and reaches 3%, we will implement remote learning for the entire state,” Carrans said.

Thousands of people gather in a small town in South Dakota

Visitors flooded to South Dakota City for the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

The event, which is held in a city with a population of about 7000, attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year. While officials say there will be a shortened version this year, people are still welcome from across the country, including coronavirus hotspots such as Florida, Texas and Arizona.

“There will be concerts, races and competitions every day at nearby campsites. City officials say they have recommended social distancing guidelines and capacity limits for bars and restaurants, but none of that is legally binding, Daniel Ainslie said.

“I guarantee you that any number of people will bring the virus to this event, and it will spread to many of the participants and travel with them to their homes, where they will spread it further,” said Dr. Schaffner of Vanderbilt University. “This is an accelerator of the outbreak we are seeing in the United States today.”

Dr. Carlos del Rio, professor of infectious diseases at Emory University, is not worried about the event itself, because it will mostly take place outside. Instead, he said, he fears what will happen after hours, when people go to restaurants, bars and start gathering indoors.

“I am very concerned that this event has the potential to be catastrophic,” he said.

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