New York cases spike amid record hospitalisations in 6 US states

WASHINGTON • Six states in the US have reported record numbers of hospitalised Covid-19 patients, including Wisconsin where officials have issued a new order limiting the size of indoor public gatherings.

The surge of hospitalisations and new cases in some states coincides with US President Donald Trump and several members of his White House staff testing positive for Covid-19.

Mr Trump's doctors on Tuesday said he was not displaying any acute symptoms after he left the Walter Reed Medical Centre where he had been treated for three days.

The spike in reported hospitalisations on Monday has hit states in the Midwest the hardest, with Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming reporting their highest figures, according to a Reuters tally.

Wisconsin has 782 hospitalised Covid-19 patients, up from 433 two weeks ago.

The state's Department of Health Services on Tuesday issued a directive that gatherings will be limited to no more than 25 per cent of a room or building's total occupancy.

"We're in a crisis right now and need to immediately change our behaviour to save lives," Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said in a statement. "We are continuing to experience a surge in cases and many of our hospitals are overwhelmed, and I believe limiting indoor public gatherings will help slow the spread of this virus," he added.

In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced new restrictions as the state has seen new hot spots pop up in and around New York City, the hardest-hit metropolitan area in the United States.

Among the "intense" cluster areas that will need to apply the governor's strictest new shutdown orders are parts of Brooklyn and Queens, as well as parts of Rockland and Orange counties.

The new restrictions affect houses of worship the most - those in hot spots are now required to operate at 25 per cent of capacity, with a maximum of 10 people.

Schools are being closed in some areas.

Mr Cuomo said that while the new restrictions are necessary - they were "only as good as they're enforced, and a lack of enforcement has contributed to this problem". He added that "there is no way we didn't see this coming".

Covid-19 cases are reaching three-month highs in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, marking the return of the virus to a region that has already suffered America's heaviest toll from the virus.

The strain on the healthcare system is so far limited compared with the disasters of March and April, but the trend is concerning.

Newly reported cases in the three states have roughly doubled in a month. The new cases have significantly exceeded any increase in testing, as shown by the ratio of positives to overall tests, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Covid-19 hospitalisations recently hit a seven-week high in New Jersey, a 10-week high in New York and a 31/2-month high in Connecticut, according to Covid Tracking Project data.

The news was better farther north - such as in Maine, where the governor has outlined the next reopening steps.

Governor Janet Mills said Maine was moving into the fourth stage of restarting the state's economy.

As of next Tuesday, the governor said, churches, restaurants and cinemas in the state would be allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity.

The total number of diagnosed Covid-19 infections in the United States is an estimated 7.5 million, and more than 210,900 people have died in the pandemic, the highest tally in the world.

REUTERS, BLOOMBERG