Increase In COVID-19 Cases: Texas Pause Reopening

The USA sets a one-day record for COVID-19 cases by reporting 39,327 new Coronavirus infections on Thursday. The states of the USA like  Texas, Alabama, Missouri, and Nevada reported daily highs. Along with an increase in the rate of infected people, the death tolls also spiked to about 2,500, as New Jersey added 1,854 probable deaths to its overall tally. Texas reported 5,996 new coronavirus cases on Thursday. This has beaten Wednesday’s record of 5,551. Thus the governor of Texas temporarily halted the state’s reopening on Thursday as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations surged and the country set a new record for a one-day increase in cases. He announced this in a press release from the governor’s office.

Increase In COVID-19 Cases: Texas Pause Reopening

The press release states, “The State of Texas will pause any further phases to open Texas as the state responds to the recent increase in positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. As we experience an increase in both positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, we are focused on strategies that slow the spread of this virus while also allowing Texans to continue earning a paycheck to support their families. Businesses that were already permitted to open under the state’s previous phases of reopening can continue to operate at the designated occupancy levels and under the minimum standard health protocols provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services.” The state was at the forefront of efforts to reopen devastated economies shut down in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, has seen one of the biggest jumps in new cases, reporting more than 6,000 in a single day on Monday.

The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott said, “The last thing we want to do as a state is to go backward and close down businesses. This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business.” He also suspended elective surgeries in the Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio areas to free up hospital bed space. 

Record for hospitalizations for the 14th day in a row

While some states of the USA are pushing to next phase of reopening, Texas paused its reopening due to the spike in COVID-19 cases. The state reported high newly COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The state also broke its record for hospitalizations for the 14th day in a row. Along with Texas, the states Alabama and Missouri also reported record-high cases on Thursday. According to experts, the actual Coronavirus cases is more than that of reported cases.

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its guidelines. Now the CDC says that pregnant women may be at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant women. Along with this spike in cases and spread of the pandemic, the unemployment rate is also increasing in the country. According to the Labor Department, last week, 1.48 million unemployed people filed first-time claims for unemployment insurance. That is, 47.1 million Americans have made initial jobless benefits claims in just 14 weeks. Experts and health specialists already opinioned that this surge in cases is due to the rush in reopening the nation’s economy without proper safety measures.