Story at a glance
- More than 4 million Americans have been infected since the outbreak began.
- Florida on Wednesday reported 216 additional deaths, breaking its previous record set Tuesday.
- While the Sun Belt has experienced worsening outbreaks over the past several weeks, the nation’s top infectious disease expert Tuesday warned that the Midwest is experiencing a rise in the number of positive tests.
The United States on Wednesday topped 150,000 coronavirus-related deaths as the country continues to struggle to contain the virus that has infected more than 4 million Americans, according to a Reuters tally.
The grim milestone in the U.S. comes as the deadly coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 660,000 people worldwide and infected nearly 17 million since the outbreak kicked off late last year. The U.S. currently leads the globe by a significant margin in the number of deaths and cases, followed by Brazil, India and Russia.
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An average of about 1,000 virus-related deaths per day have been reported over the past week, the worst rate since early June. Daily death counts are also rising in 24 states and Puerto Rico, according to The New York Times database.
Florida, which has become a coronavirus hot spot, reported 216 additional deaths on Wednesday, breaking the state’s previous record of 186 deaths that was recorded Tuesday. The state has recorded at least 451,413 cases with 6,332 total deaths.
Meanwhile, California hit a sobering new record Tuesday, reporting 171 deaths, the largest single-day rise the state has seen since the pandemic began. The state has confirmed 8,716 deaths with 473,500 confirmed cases statewide. California has the third most coronavirus deaths in the United States, preceded by New Jersey and New York, two states hit hard early on in the pandemic.
While the Sun Belt has experienced worsening outbreaks over the past several weeks, the nation’s top infectious disease expert Tuesday warned that the Midwest is experiencing a rise in the number of positive tests.
“What I’m concerned about is…that some of the other states, the Ohios, the Indianas, the Tennessees, the Kentuckys that are starting to have that very early indication that the percent of cases regarding the number of tests that you have, that the percent is starting to go up,” Anthony Fauci said Tuesday during an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
“We just can’t afford, yet again, another surge,” he added.
BREAKING NEWS ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
COUNTRIES LED BY WOMEN HAVE FARED BETTER AGAINST CORONAVIRUS. WHY?
MORE THAN 8.7 MILLION CORONAVIRUS CASES WENT UNDETECTED IN MARCH
EXPERTS: 90% OF CORONAVIRUS DEATHS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED
FAUCI PREDICTS ANOTHER CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN THE FALL WITH A ‘VERY DIFFERENT’ OUTCOME
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