Cases rising in 22 US states

FE Team | Published: September 08, 2020 00:05:05

Coronavirus cases are rising in 22 of the 50 US states, according to a Reuters analysis, a worrisome trend on a Labour Day holiday weekend traditionally filled with family gatherings and parties to mark the end of summer.
As little as three weeks ago, cases were increasing in only three states, Hawaii, Illinois and South Dakota, according to an analysis comparing cases for the two-week period of Aug 8-22 with the past two weeks, report agencies.
Most of the 22 states where cases are now rising are in the less-populated parts of the Midwest and South.
On a percentage basis, South Dakota had the biggest increase over the past two weeks at 126 per cent, reporting over 3,700 new cases. Health officials have linked some of the rise to hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists who descended on Sturgis, South Dakota, for an annual rally in August.
Cases are also rising rapidly in Iowa, with 13,600 new infections in the past two weeks, and North Dakota, with 3,600 new cases in the same period.
The increases are masked nationwide by decreasing new infections in the most populous states of California, Florida and Texas.
Number of global Covid-19 cases crossed 27.33 million Monday, according to the latest tally from Worldometers, the death counts has reached 893,711.
More than 19 million people recovered from the virus infection, according to the latest tally.
The United States remains the worst-hit nation by the pandemic, with 6,275,614 cases and 188,932 deaths, accounting for more than one fifth of the global death toll.
Brazil recorded 4,137,521 cases and 126,650 deaths, both second only to the United States.
Meanwhile, with its nationwide tally of 4.2 million exceeded only by the US figure of 6.2 million, India is adding more cases each day than any other country this year since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Experts say there is no sign of a peak as cases surge in the world's second most populous country, both in major cities, such as New Delhi and the financial hub of Mumbai, and rural areas that have limited access to health services.
Monday's jump was the third straight daily record in India, government data showed, provisionally carrying its tally past Brazil, which has just over 4.1 million cases, although the time difference means the South American nation will release its corresponding figure later.
The death toll of 71,642 in India compares with nearly 193,000 in the United States and 126,000 in Brazil.
India says its rising infections also reflect higher rates of testing nationwide, adding that high recovery rates show its strategy of testing, tracing and treatment is working and the situation is under control in a country of its size.
India displaced Brazil on Sunday to take second place after the United States in terms of coronavirus infections, with 90,082 new cases whose numbers are expected to grow, while some cities re-opened underground train services shuttered for months.