COVID-19 cases spike in U.S. Midwest as deaths reach over 180,000

By Lisa Shumaker and Maria Caspani

 

Diane Randall stands in silence while holding American flags at sunrise to memorialize victims of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, near the Washington Monument in Washington, U.S., August 27, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

 

(Reuters) - Several U.S. Midwest states reported record one-day increases in the number of new coronavirus cases on Thursday as nationwide deaths from the virus topped 180,000 and officials braced for the possibility of another surge with school openings.

 

Meanwhile, the governors of several states said they would not reduce testing as recommended the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a change many health officials say was based on political pressure and not science.

 

Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota all recorded on Thursday the biggest one-day increases in new infections since the pandemic started.

 

Nationally, metrics on new cases, deaths, hospitalizations and test positivity rates are all declining but there are emerging hotspots in the Midwest.

 

North Dakota, where cases rose 30% last week, reported a record 333 new cases on Thursday. Neighboring South Dakota, where cases rose 50% last week, reported a record 623 new infections.

 

Infections have been rising since an annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota drew more than 365,000 people from all over the country from Aug. 7 to 16. The South Dakota health department said 40 cases have been traced to the Sturgis rally.

 

Iowa reported 1,288 new cases on Thursday after seeing infections rise nearly 7% last week. Minnesota reported 1,154 new cases and saw its new cases rise 4% last week, according to a Reuters analysis. Cases are also rising in Illinois.

 

Minnesota's health department said 265 of the new cases were due to delayed test results from one lab and the backlog would affect future reports as well.

 

Health experts have warned there could be another surge in cases across the United States as schools reopen and colder weather forces more gatherings indoors.

 

This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said people exposed to COVID-19 but not symptomatic may not need to be tested.

 

That contradicted earlier guidance from the CDC, shocking doctors and politicians and prompting accusations that it may have been based not on sound science but on political pressure from the administration of President Donald Trump.

 

California, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, New Jersey and New York all plan continue to test asymptomatic people who have been exposed to COVID-19.

 

The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut slammed the CDC's move as "reckless" and "not based on science," and said they would not change testing guidelines in their states.

 

The CDC and Department of Health "have not shared their scientific rationale for this change in policy, which substitutes sound science-based public health guidance with the president's misinformation," they said in a joint statement.

 

"This type of robust testing by our states has been a key factor in our success so far to flatten the curve in the tristate area."

 

On Wednesday, the top U.S. government infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, told CNN he was having surgery during discussion of the change and expressed worry about the CDC's move.

 

The World Health Organization said, resources permitting, people exposed to the novel coronavirus should continue to get tested even if they do not show immediate symptoms of infection.

 

U.S. confirmed cases are now over 5.8 million - the highest total in the world. The U.S. death toll is also the world's highest.

 

On a per capita basis, the United States ranks 12th in the world for the number of deaths, with 54 deaths per 100,000 people, and tenth in the world for cases, with 1,774 cases per 100,000 residents, according to a Reuters analysis.

 

(Open https://tmsnrt.rs/2WTOZDR in an external browser for a Reuters interactive graphic)

 

(Reporting by Lisa Shumaker in Chicago and Maria Caspani in New York; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and David Gregorio)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-08-28

 

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How many have to die before old trump can wip out the old sharpie and require masks hummmm let’s see 180,000 dead Americans in 7 months that’s more dead than all the military killed in the pacific theater ww2 all services plus the 26,000 lost by the 8th Air Force European theater that’s still slightly less than 180,000 just boggles my mind and now he’s trying to cripple testing so not so many cases show imo it’s criminal incompetence we need a change

Off-topic post removed. 

 

A less dramatic headline could read 165,000 People Over 65 Years Old Die From Virus

 

https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/press-release/8-in-10-people-who-have-died-of-covid-19-were-age-65-or-older-but-the-share-varies-by-state/

Edited August 28, 20205 yr by Pattaya Spotter

2 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Or the headline could read 165,000 People Over 65 Years Old Die From Virus

 

https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/press-release/8-in-10-people-who-have-died-of-covid-19-were-age-65-or-older-but-the-share-varies-by-state/

There's not enough fear in that headline.  Never mind about facts, the media needs to keep pressing fear.  

Of course, thaivisa demographics would include the majority of posters fitting your headline criteria.

4 hours ago, steelepulse said:

There's not enough fear in that headline.  Never mind about facts, the media needs to keep pressing fear.  

Of course, thaivisa demographics would include the majority of posters fitting your headline criteria.

So, please give us the facts so that we can understand the real reasons why 180,000 humans have died in America. We would all grateful to know the real reasons. 

6 hours ago, steelepulse said:

There's not enough fear in that headline.  Never mind about facts, the media needs to keep pressing fear.  

Of course, thaivisa demographics would include the majority of posters fitting your headline criteria.

Indeed - including the majority of those who question the science, advocate against mask wearing and otherwise like to pretend it's all a "hoax" and will "just disappear one day". Seems to me a collective attempt to win a group Darwin Award.

*Deleted post removed*

 

hmm US with 4% of world population has 22% of the deaths

Japan (population 126 million, 33% over age 60) has had 1,200 deaths

USA (population 328 million (2.6 times bigger than Japan)  16.9% over age 60) 170 something thousand dead...

If Japan were same population as USA, their total deaths would be 3,120 and with a far larger population of seniors. Japan is far more crowded than USA.

Your rather lame reasoning that "they were gonna die of something anyway" does not stand up to any sort of reality check. Other countries have done far, far better than USA. If Japan had lost at same level as USA, had the same level of gross negligence in leadership, the death toll would be at least 65,000+. Probably higher as they have twice the percentage of old people.

Think about that, if you can

50 minutes ago, Emdog said:

hmm US with 4% of world population has 22% of the deaths

Japan (population 126 million, 33% over age 60) has had 1,200 deaths

USA (population 328 million (2.6 times bigger than Japan)  16.9% over age 60) 170 something thousand dead...

If Japan were same population as USA, their total deaths would be 3,120 and with a far larger population of seniors. Japan is far more crowded than USA.

Your rather lame reasoning that "they were gonna die of something anyway" does not stand up to any sort of reality check. Other countries have done far, far better than USA. If Japan had lost at same level as USA, had the same level of gross negligence in leadership, the death toll would be at least 65,000+. Probably higher as they have twice the percentage of old people.

Think about that, if you can

May want to check the health stats for America vs. other countries like Japan (hint US 60% obesity rate...Japan maybe 10%). So if you're unhealthy to begin with, and a pandemic sweeps through, you're gonna be dropping like flies.

17 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

A less dramatic headline could read 165,000 People Over 65 Years Old Die From Virus

 

https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/press-release/8-in-10-people-who-have-died-of-covid-19-were-age-65-or-older-but-the-share-varies-by-state/

 

At age 65 the average US citizen has 19.1 years of life remaining.  At age 75 he/she has 12.1 years remaining.   https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/2011/022.pdf  Most of them want to live those years.

7 hours ago, Redline said:

The average age of death in the usa is 79 years old

Yes...old people die.

Off-topic, troll posts and replies removed.