US Cases Top 50k In One Day: California Reimposes Shutdown

US COVID-19 cases rose by nearly 50,000 on Wednesday marking the biggest one-day spike in pandemic history. Top infectious disease experts warned that the number will double if the people of the USA don’t practice social distancing norms. They also opinioned that the case will hit 100,000 soon if Americans do not come together to take necessary steps to pause the pandemic like wearing masks and practicing social distancing. The country reported around 22,000 cases in the first week of June and it slowly increased and even doubled by the end of June. more than half of the cases each day come from states like Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas.

US Cases Top 50k In One Day: California Reimposes Shutdown

The rapid increase in the cases in June tracks back to the Memorial Day holiday celebrations in late May. now health experts are worried about the Independence Day celebrations that are going to occur on July 4th. On this day Americans traditionally flock to beaches and campgrounds to watch fireworks displays. The researches also said that the death toll from the pandemic maybe 35% than that of reported cases. According to a new survey, racial discrimination and race relations are also having a significant impact on this pandemic outbreak.

The survey also reported that around 40% of Asian Americans and Blacks reported an increase in the death toll. Along with this, the multiple states of the USA are reporting daily new records. But the major problem is that most with COVID-19 don’t know who infected them. This makes the task of contract tracing difficult. Several surveys found that 54% of those infected couldn’t point out the source.

Dr. Joshua Barocas, assistant professor of medicine at Boston University said, “it’s very concerning. We have seen asymptomatic disease is incredibly common, not just in what we classify as low-risk populations but also high-risk populations.” 

California takes major stepback by reimposing shutdown

Governor of California Gavin Newsome said that 19 counties in California would take a major step back in reopening plans as the COVID-19 cases in the country are rising with positive tests and deaths. The major counties included in the shutdown are Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and Venture.

These counties encompass almost 75% os the state’s population. The COVID-19 cases of California have raised above 50% last week and hospitalizations have raised 43%. The shutdown in 19 counties includes the following changes: 

• The shutdown of all indoor operations of restaurants, and movie theaters
• No social gatherings are allowed
• All bars should be closed
• Beaches in the state will be opened for July 4th, but parking is not allowed. Counties can take decision about whether to close or open the beaches.
• Parks will be opened and people should follow social distancing guidelines

The cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco have already called off fireworks shows and Governor of California, Newsome is also encouraging other cities to do the same.