U.S. becomes country with most COVID-19 cases, highest death toll
People's Daily Online
(Xinhua) 15:50, April 12, 2020
NEW YORK, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The United States has surpassed Italy in the total number of deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday, becoming the country with the most confirmed cases and fatalities worldwide.
According to a running tally kept by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University, the United States has reported 529,951 cases with 20,608 deaths as of 2 a.m. (0600 GMT) on Sunday.
Italy has reported 152,271 cases with 19,468 deaths in total and Spain recorded 163,027 cases with 16,606 deaths, according to the tally.
U.S. President Donald Trump approved a Major Disaster Declaration for Wyoming state on Saturday. So far, all 50 states, Washington D.C., the U.S. Virgin islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico have received the declaration for the same reason, the first time in U.S. history, as local media reported.
The designation allows state and local governments to gain federal funds and resources such as the Army Corps of Engineers to help combat the pandemic.
California and New York, the two hardest-hit states, have seen the curve of COVID-19 infections flattening in their states during the past few days due to staying-at-home orders and social distancing protocols, and both governors urged residents to keep doing so.
"Staying at home is literally saving lives. This isn't over yet. We have to keep it up," California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted on Saturday.
Meanwhile, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at his daily briefing that he wants to "make sure any decision we make to open the economy is based on what we've learned from our own experience and from other places around the globe."
"I understand the need to bring back the economy as quickly as possible and that people need to work, but more importantly we need to save lives," he added.
The Empire State has seen 181,825 cases with 8,650 deaths by Saturday night, according to the Johns Hopkins tally. Over 98,000 cases and more than 6,300 fatalities were reported from New York City.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Saturday that all public schools in the city will remain closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year, adding that the decision was not an easy one, "But it's the right one."
"The social distancing strategies have been working, and we cannot risk a resurgence of the virus," the mayor tweeted.
He promised the city will complete deliveries of Internet-enabled digital devices for every student who needs them for remote learning.
The city is also rapidly moving homeless people from crowded shelters to hotels for better isolation. Seniors and anyone who has symptoms or has tested positive for COVID-19 is being prioritized, said the mayor.
"Our homeless neighbors living on the street are going through a lot right now, and we're working to bring more and more of them inside," he said.
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