For the second consecutive day, the US has set a record-high number of coronavirus cases with more than 62,000 new infections reported in a single day.
This breaks the previous record set on Tuesday of 60,021 and brings the total number of cases to 3.05 million.
More than 132,000 Americans have died since the pandemic began sweeping the nation in March, with 820 of those deaths recorded yesterday.
Deaths across the country have been trending downwards even as the number of infections surge to levels not seen throughout the pandemic.
California, once a model state for its response to the virus, has seen cases soar, and set a record-high number on Wednesday with 11,694 – although Gov Gavin Newsom says many are backlogs of previously unreported cases.
The Golden State state also reported its highest-single day death toll at 149.
Texas also set two records of its own. The highest number of fatalities were recorded on Tuesday, at around 112, and 15 percent of tests came bak positive, the most ever since the start of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, deaths have been trending up in Tulsa, Oklahoma – and statewide – which officials believe is linked to President Donald Trump’s rally held last month.
For the second consecutive day, the US has set a record-high number of coronavirus cases with more than 62,000 new infections reported in a single day (above)
Health officials say the death increases in California, Texas and other states was only inevitable and will likely push the national death rate up.
The Harvard Global Health Institute says national averages are misleading because states such as Illinois, Massachusetts and New York – where the virus is being suppressed – are bringing the overall numbers down.
But health experts say that deaths can lag anywhere from two to seven weeks and, often, the death rate represents cases that were diagnosed about a month or a month-and-a-half ago.
That’s because it can take at least a week after being infected to experience symptoms and get diagnosed, another week before someone is hospitalized and two to three weeks before a patient dies.
‘The hospitalizations and death counts we see today are only and always a picture of where the virus was weeks ago,’ the Harvard Global Health Institute says.
‘The rapid increase in cases in many states has been overshadowed because hospitalizations and death rates have not risen at the same pace. As a result, a false narrative is wrongly taking hold that COVID-19 has lost its teeth.’
California, once a model state for its response to the virus, has seen cases soar, and set a record-high number on Wednesday with 11,694 and recorded-high deaths at 149
Deaths have been rising in Texas with 112, a record-high in the state
Between June 23 and July 1, cases, hospitalizations and deaths rose in Arizona, Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina but decreased in New York (above)
To show how national numbers are not indicative of the trend occurring in many states, the Harvard Global Health Institute compared five new hotspots states Arizona, Florida Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas to New York.
Between June 23, 2020 and July 7, 2020 – just two weeks apart – hospitalization rates are up in Arizona, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas but down in New York.
In all five states, daily deaths have increased in all five states, from between seven percent and seventy-nine percent
Researchers say case numbers are rising faster than the number of tests performed daily, meaning surveillance efforts cannot keep up with the spread.
In comparison, aside from a slight uptick in cases, every other number is on a downward slope.
”Because death is a lagging indicator, we are only now seeing a rise in deaths in the latest hotspot states,’ the Harvard Global Health Institute says.
‘This is not visible in national mortality numbers because states such as New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts still have falling mortality rates, which make the national numbers look flat. In the states hardest hit with new outbreaks, the disease is just getting started to show it’s devastating impact.’
The Florida Department of Health announced 8,935 new infections (above) with the statewide rate of positive tests currently sits at 19.5 percent
On Wednesday, the Arizona Department of Health reported 3,520 new cases and, although not a record high-number, the state currently has more positive tests than any other at more than 25 percent.
Additionally, the Florida Department of Health announced 8,935 new infections and deaths have surpassed 4,000.
The statewide rate of positive tests currently sits at 19.5 percent, which is double what it was one month ago.
South Carolina reported 1,537 new cases in the state on Wednesday, with approximately one in five people testing positive.
Health officials say the positive test rates are spreading more rapidly in the South than it did in March and April.
According to a data analysis performed by The New York Times, there is no country in the world where new coronavirus cases are jumping as quickly as in Arizona, Florida or South Carolina.
Over the last seven days, Arizona has recorded 3,300 cases per million residents, Florida has recorded 2,700 and South Carolina has recorded 2,300.
This makes the Sun Belt comparable to three Middle Eastern countries with serious outbreaks: Bahrain, Oman and Qatar, according to the Times
One public health official says the campaign rally President Donald Trump held in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 20 (above) is likely to blame for the county’s spike in coronavirus infections
On Wednesday, Oklahoma reported 673 new cases of coronavirus, the second-highest daily total (left). Meanwhile, hospitalizations in the state have surged to a record-high 450 (right)
Meanwhile, cases have been spiking in Oklahoma and one public health official says the campaign rally President Donald Trump held in Tulsa in late June is to blame
Tulsa City-County Health Department Director Dr Bruce Dart told the Associated Press on Wednesday that the event ‘likely contributed’ to the surge.
On Wednesday, there were 206 new infections reported and reported Wednesday and 261 recorded on Tuesday, which is the most for Tulsa County in a single day.
Comparatively, on the Tuesday and Wednesday before the June 20 Trump rally, there were 96 cases and 125 cases, recorded, respectively, the health department said.
‘In the past few days, we’ve seen almost 500 new cases, and we had several large events just over two weeks ago, so I guess we just connect the dots,’ Dart told the Associated Press.
Dart said he urged the campaign to postpone the rally, but that officials denied his request, saying they were taking safety precautions such as performing temperature checks and passing out hand sanitizer.
‘There were literally no health precautions to speak of as thousands looted, rioted, and protested in the streets and the media reported that it did not lead to a rise in coronavirus cases,’ Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said in a statement.
‘Meanwhile, the President’s rally was 18 days ago, all attendees had their temperature checked, everyone was provided a mask, and there was plenty of hand sanitizer available for all. It’s obvious that the media’s concern about large gatherings begins and ends with Trump rallies.
Although masks were provided to those who attended the rally, face coverings were not a requirement and most people didn’t wear them.
Since then, one reporter who attended the event has tested positive for COVID-19 in addition to six campaign staffers and two Secret Service members.
On Wednesday, Oklahoma reported 673 new cases of coronavirus, the second-highest daily total following the record high of 858 cases reported on Tuesday.