US hits highest single-day total in coronavirus cases
Iran Press TV
Thursday, 25 June 2020 7:44 AM
The US states of California, Texas and Florida have reported a record number of new cases of coronavirus infection in one day as hospitals beds are filling up again, with experts warning about a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases across the country.
A total number of 36,880 new cases were reported in the US on Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
In the country's most populous state, California, hospitalizations of people for the epidemic has increased by nearly a third over the past two weeks, with about 1,500 new suspected or confirmed patients requiring intensive care, officials said on Wednesday.
Health authorities in California registered 7,149 new infections on Wednesday, bringing the state's total to 195,925.
There were also 52 new COVID-19-related deaths reported on Wednesday, bringing the state's total to 5,632.
Governor Gavin Newsom said further increases are also expected when test results from people, who participated in massive anti-racism protests start coming in.
Many cases could still be undetected, he said.
"These numbers do beg the question and that is what can we do more to keep you safe from the spread of this virus," Newsom added.
Texas reports 5,551 new cases
Texas reported 5,551 confirmed cases on Wednesday, up from the previous record of 5,489 the day before, according to health authorities.
The total number of known cases in Texas is now 128,132.
Governor Greg Abbott called strict stay-at-home order, saying, "Because the spread is so rampant right now, there's never a reason for you to have to leave your home."
He said that further restrictive actions could be announced if the virus continues to spread at this rate.
Officials have already encouraged mask wearing and social distancing in crowded places, he said.
Florida registers 5,508 new corona cases
In Florida, health officials reported 5,508 cases on Wednesday. This brings the total number of cases to 109,014 in the state.
The total number of people who have been hospitalized is 13,574, though the Department of Health notes that figure does not reflect the number of COVID-19 patients currently in hospitals.
The number of reported deaths also increased to 3,281, an increase of 43 since Tuesday.
State authorities have been under fire for not acting seriously enough to tackle the outbreak, imposing less rigorous regulations on residents than did states such as New York and Connecticut, and unwinding those restrictions too quickly.
The three most populous states account for 27.4% of the 328 million people living in the US, according to the latest US Census Bureau estimates.
Arizona reports highest number of new cases per capita
At least 26 US states, including Arizona, are seeing a rise in cases compared to the previous week, data from Johns Hopkins University show.
Arizona, which is currently seeing the highest number of new coronavirus cases per capita of any state in the country, has reported about 2,742 new cases per day over the seven days that ended on June 23.
Adjusted for population, that's about 38 new cases per 100,000 people per day.
The state registered 59,974 cases of COVID-19 and 1,463 coronavirus-related deaths as of Wednesday morning.
COVID-19 cases increased by 1,795, or 3.1%, from Tuesday's 58,179 identified cases since the outbreak began.
President Donald Trump, who paid a visit to Arizona on Tuesday, has largely dismissed concerns about holding campaign events as the virus continues to spread in the state.
Trump continues to downplay the threat of the infectious virus that has so far affected some 2,381,538 people across his country.
Some 121,979 Americans have also lost their lives to the new coronavirus.
Between 130,000 and 150,000 Americans will likely die from coronavirus infections by July 18, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in its latest forecast.
Trump turns blind eye to pandemic: Bolton
US president's former national security adviser John Bolton accused his former boss of "turning a blind eye" at the onset of the outbreak.
"I think there is an empty chair in the Oval Office, because the President did not want to hear bad news about … the potential impact of a pandemic on the American economy and its effect on his reelection," Bolton told CNN on Wednesday.
"Turning a blind eye to all these early signs I think hampered the country's ability to deal with this, and continues to do so," Bolton said.
Asked if he had confidence in Trump's handling of the pandemic, Bolton responded: "I do not."
His remarks came in the wake of the release of his book, titled "The Room Where it Happened," which accuses Trump of having sought China's help to win re-election.
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