COVID-19: UpdateGlobal COVID-19 Cases Top 700,000; Trump Extends Plan to Slow Virus
The global COVID-19 total easily passed 700,000 cases yesterday, just 1 day after passing the 600,000-case mark, fueled by steep rises in Europe and the United States, where President Donald Trump said yesterday that social (physical) distancing guidelines will be extended through the end of April. The global total has now reached 718,685 cases, with the U.S. total at 139,675.
The global COVID-19 total easily passed 700,000 cases yesterday, just 1 day after passing the 600,000-case mark, fueled by steep rises in Europe and the United States, where President Donald Trump said yesterday that social (physical) distancing guidelines will be extended through the end of April.
In other developments, countries such as Russia took new steps to curb the first wave of pandemic activity, while others, such as South Korea, ordered new measures to prevent a second wave. The global total has now reached 718,685 cases, with the U.S. total at 139,675, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard.
Trump Extends Social Distancing Plan
The United States reported about 20,000 cases and 520 deaths yesterday and appears to be on track to equal or exceed that number yesterday.
On CNN this morning, Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the United States could see 100,000 to 200,000 deaths. The nation’s number of COVID-19 deaths have doubled over the past 2 days.
At a briefing yesterday, Trump announced that the federal social distancing guide will be extended to Apr 30. The administration’s initial plan was released on Mar 16 and detailed a 15-day plan to slow the spread of the virus
He said officials will release an updated plan on 31 March, according to CNN.
CIDRAP notes that the President originally said he hoped the country was ready to resume work by Easter (Apr 12), but yesterday he said he hopes that the United States will be on its road to recovery by Jun 1.
Last night, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to avoid nonessential domestic travel for 14 days due to extensive COVID-19 transmission. Its advisory doesn’t apply to critical infrastructure workers, including trucking, public health, financial services, and food supply.
The advisory followed President Trump’s comments yesterday about a possible quarantine for those hot spots, though it’s not clear if it would be enforceable.
New York Nears 60,000 Cases
New York so far yesterday has reported 6,120 more cases and 82 more deaths for a total of 59,513 cases, 965 of them fatal. New Jersey, the second worst-hit state, reported 2,262 more cases, for a total of 13,383, followed by California with 169 more cases for a total of 5,718. Three states yesterday surpassed the early hot spot of Washington state: Michigan, Massachusetts, and Illinois.
