Coronavirus pandemic: US

500,000 cases in 7 days

United States sees new infections and hospitalisations setting records in the Midwest, with Illinois, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as hot spots

A memorial at the D.C. Armory parade ground in Washington, DC on Tuesday, with a sign showing a recent figure representing the number of people in the United States who had died of Covid-19. The disease has killed more than 226,000 people in the US s
A memorial at the D.C. Armory parade ground in Washington, DC on Tuesday, with a sign showing a recent figure representing the number of people in the United States who had died of Covid-19. The disease has killed more than 226,000 people in the US since it erupted in the country in March, and some cities are reinstating restrictions to combat its spread. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
A memorial at the D.C. Armory parade ground in Washington, DC on Tuesday, with a sign showing a recent figure representing the number of people in the United States who had died of Covid-19. The disease has killed more than 226,000 people in the US s
A healthcare worker registering patients at a drive-through Covid-19 testing site at El Paso Community College on Tuesday. PHOTO: NYTIMES
Above: A tent set up to handle an overflow of Covid-19 patients from University Medical Centre in the city of El Paso in the state of Texas. The city is facing a surge in cases that is overwhelming local hospitals. Left: A healthcare worker registeri
A tent set up to handle an overflow of Covid-19 patients from University Medical Centre in the city of El Paso in the state of Texas. The city is facing a surge in cases that is overwhelming local hospitals. PHOTO: REUTERS

CHICAGO • Nearly half a million people have contracted Covid-19 in the United States over the past seven days, according to a Reuters tally, as new cases and hospitalisations set records in the Midwest.

Coronavirus hot spots include Illinois, which reported 31,000 new infections over the past week, and two states expected to be key in the US presidential election on Nov 3: Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

"We must take significant and collective actions," Dr Andrea Palm of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services told a news conference, adding that contact tracers were overwhelmed and hospitals may face staffing shortages.

"This is going to get worse before it gets better."

Wisconsin broke one-day state records in both cases and deaths; state officials told residents to stay home, wear masks and cancel social gatherings.

Alaska set a statewide record for single-day positive tests over the weekend, and some of the hardest-hit parts of the state were rural communities with mostly Native American populations.

Nationwide, more than 5,600 people died from the virus in the past week, with hospitalisations rising 13 per cent, a Reuters analysis showed.

Record-setting levels of coronavirus cases are coming at the worst possible time politically for US President Donald Trump, who is facing a tough re-election battle on Nov 3.

"To a certain extent, it's going to cost him some votes," said Mr Ed Rollins, a Republican strategist who is chairman of the pro-Trump Great America political action committee. "Our vote will hopefully turn out, but I'd much rather have them in the box than waiting for them to come."

The Covid-19 spikes will make it more difficult for Republicans to execute their voter turnout plans, especially with surveys showing Mr Trump trailing his Democratic challenger Joe Biden, said Mr Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist and senior adviser to Mr Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.

Still, Mr Trump on Tuesday reiterated his claim that the country is "rounding the turn" in the pandemic.

  • >5,600

    Number of people who died from the virus nationwide in the United States in the past week.

Covid-19 has killed more than 226,000 people in the US since erupting in the country in March.

"We did the ventilators and now we're doing all of the equipment and now we're doing vaccines, we're doing therapeutics. We've done a great job, and people are starting to see," Mr Trump told reporters at the White House.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker imposed fresh rounds of restrictions in seven of 11 regions, most recently in Chicago. Beginning tomorrow, indoor dining in bars and restaurants will be suspended in the Windy City, and gatherings will be limited to 25 people.

Business owners in parts of Illinois have pushed back against restrictions, citing financial damage.

Other states have walked back reopening plans to curb the spread of the virus as cooler weather sets in across most of the nation.

Idaho Governor Brad Little on Monday prohibited indoor gatherings of more than 50 people and capped outdoor gatherings at 25 per cent capacity.

Health experts believe the virus is surging because of private social gatherings, colder temperatures driving people inside, and Americans' fatigue with Covid-19 restrictions that have now been in place for more than six months.

Beyond the Midwest, the city of El Paso in Texas is also facing a surge in cases that is overwhelming local hospitals, with officials setting up an alternate care facility to help relieve medical centres.

"We are seeing all sorts of patients. The narrative historically has been the above-65, those with multiple co-morbidities. But we're seeing 20-year-olds. We're seeing 30-year-olds, 40-year-olds," Dr Ogechika Alozie, an infectious disease specialist in El Paso, told Reuters.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced he was reinstating some coronavirus rules to combat what city officials described as a "dramatic rise" in Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations.

Restaurants, retail businesses and offices will have their 50 per cent capacity slashed in half, the mayor said, while events will be capped at 25 people indoors and 75 outdoors.

Colorado reported a record one-day increase in cases on Monday, and hospitalisations have risen 60 per cent in the last two weeks to 571.

The percentage of positive tests has more than doubled this month to over 7 per cent. However, the number of those hospitalised in the state is far below the record 1,000 in April.

REUTERS, BLOOMBERG

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 29, 2020, with the headline 500,000 cases in 7 days. Subscribe