This archive report was first published on 1 July 2020.
As the U.S. grapples with a surge in coronavirus cases, the country has seen a record 47,000 new cases in a single day, according to a Reuters tally published on July 1, 2020.
California, Texas, and Arizona have emerged as new epicenters of the pandemic, reporting record increases in COVID-19 cases. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned that the number of new cases could soon double if a nationwide push is not made to tamp down the resurgent virus.
“Clearly we are not in total control right now,” Dr. Fauci told a U.S. Senate committee. “I am very concerned because it could get very bad.”
Dr. Fauci said the daily increase in new cases could reach 100,000 unless a nationwide push was made to control the virus. He also expressed concerns about the lack of a vaccine, stating that there was no guarantee of one being available by the beginning of next year.
COVID-19 cases more than doubled in June in at least 10 states, including Texas and Florida. In parts of Texas and Arizona, hospital intensive care beds for COVID-19 patients are in short supply.
As the pandemic worsens, the European Union has excluded Americans from its “safe list” of countries from which the bloc will allow non-essential travel beginning on Wednesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump has faced renewed criticism for his handling of the pandemic, with his rival, Democrat Joe Biden, accusing him of “historic mismanagement” that has cost lives and inflicted more damage than necessary to the U.S. economy.
“It didn’t have to be this way. Donald Trump failed us,” Mr. Biden said in a speech in Delaware, where he unveiled an updated plan to tackle the pandemic calling for more testing and the hiring of 100,000 contract tracers.
