Coronavirus cases are rising in 40 out of 50 US states. Experts say the Fourth of July holiday will make it worse.
By: Bill Bostock - Business Insider News - 07-03-20
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https://www.businessinsider.com/us-c...of-july-2020-7
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Thousands of beach-goers enjoy a day out at Huntington Beach, California, on April 25, 2020. Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty
* The US coronavirus outbreak is accelerating at record pace as the typically frenetic Fourth of July weekend approaches.
* The US set records for new daily coronavirus cases on Wednesday and Thursday, and cases numbers are trending upwards in 40 states.
* Experts fear that, as with Memorial Day Weekend in May, people will gather, defy health guidelines, and facilitate the spread of the virus.
* "The most patriotic thing they can do this year is to stay at home," said Dr. Peter Beilenson, the top health official in Sacramento County, California.
The coronavirus is surging in 40 out of 50 US states, and with the Fourth of July holiday approaching, experts fear it may be about to get worse.
More than 55,000 new US coronavirus cases were reported on Thursday. It marked a new all-time daily high, beating the previous record of 50,000 cases reported the day before.
The Associated Press (AP) also reported on Thursday that 40 out of 50 states were trending upwards in terms of daily new cases.
Heath officials say the rise is caused by people refusing to wear masks and opting not to comply with social-distancing orders.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading disease expert in the US, said "we're going to be in some serious difficulty" if people didn't start following government advice, according to the AP.
Every year, the Fourth of July weekend sees millions of Americans head to beaches and parks to celebrate.
But, due to the threat posed by the virus, some states, like California and Florida, have moved early to close public beaches. Many of them had reopened in June following weeks on lockdown.
A spike in coronavirus cases was observed in early June and was blamed on people celebrating Memorial Day Weekend, and officials are keen not to repeat the event.
"Our numbers are going through the roof," Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the public-health officer in Riverside County, California, told The New York Times.
"We started seeing more and more cases after Memorial Day and we can't afford another jump after the Fourth of July."
Dr. Peter Beilenson, the director of Sacramento County's department of health services, also told The Times: "The most patriotic thing they can do this year is to stay at home."
Joshua Barocas, an infectious-disease expert at the Boston Medical Center, said earlier this week that the timing of the spike and the impending holiday "set up a perfect storm," according to The Guardian.
"The combination of travel, the combination of reopening – perhaps in some cases too early – and the combination of people not necessarily following some of these preventive guidelines."
In Washington, DC, President Donald Trump is stirring up excitement for a July Fourth fireworks display set to be held in the city.
The city's mayor, Muriel Bowser, said the event contravenes government guidelines on mass gatherings.
"Ask yourself, do you need to be there?" Bowser said. "Do you know if you'll be able to social distance?"
As of Wednesday, the US — whose citizens make up 4% of the world's population — accounted for 25% of its coronavirus cases, CNN reported..
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Personal note: People are born wander's - to isolate them is to inhibit their natural habits. This will continue to do this until a cure is available. Humans are not designed to be locked up. Look at what it does to people in our prisons. People are not shut-in's.
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How do we remedy something that is a inherent physiological issue? It's a test of the human spirit and how long they must remain stationary within fixed boundaries.
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They can tolerate it for awhile - but we really need a vaccine ASAP or this virus will continue to spread and do more harm.
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Mass political gatherings will surely spread this virus more and more.
Boats