US sees 1,000 deaths in a day; California cases exceed 400k

ATLANTA/NEW YORK • The US reported more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, marking the first time since June 10 that the nation has surpassed that grim milestone, as California closed in on passing New York in the number of total infections.

Around 145,000 Americans have now died from Covid-19, a toll that experts warn will likely surge following recent record spikes in case numbers and an alarming rise in hospitalisations in many states.

But in some states, governors and local officials are continuing to bicker over the best way to respond to the crisis.

In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott said Hidalgo county could not order residents to stay home and that mask and social distancing rules were sufficient to keep businesses open in the Rio Grande Valley, on the US border with Mexico.

In Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp has sought to prevent Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms from enforcing an order for residents to wear masks in public.

In Florida, the state teachers' union has sued Governor Ron DeSantis and other officials to try to halt his plans to reopen schools as the state saw more than 10,000 daily new coronavirus cases for six out of the past seven days.

On average last week, 19 per cent of Florida's Covid-19 tests came back positive, indicating widespread community transmission. Deaths have climbed 45 per cent week on week.

"I think it's much better today than it was two weeks ago. And I think it will continue to improve," Mr DeSantis said on Tuesday.

Neither Florida nor Georgia have issued statewide mask mandates.

In Texas, Mr Abbott initially resisted such an order but later agreed to require face coverings in most counties. In Hidalgo county, cases have risen 59 per cent in the past week to total nearly 13,000. In just one week, deaths have doubled to more than 300.

California on Tuesday became the second US state after New York to report more than 400,000 Covid-19 cases. It has seen over 7,800 deaths.

New York has recorded by far the most deaths of any US state at more than 32,000. But it now has one of the nation's lowest infection rates and reported just two coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday.

Data released by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday showed that the number of infected people in different parts of the United States was two to 13 times higher than reported rates.

The findings suggest that large numbers of people who did not have symptoms or did not seek medical care may have kept the virus circulating in their communities.

The study indicates that even the hardest-hit area - New York City, where one in four people has been exposed to the virus - is nowhere near achieving herd immunity.

Experts believe 60 per cent of people in an area would need to have been exposed to attain herd immunity.

The analysis, based on antibody tests, is the largest of its kind.

"These data continue to show that the number of people who have been infected with the virus that causes Covid-19 far exceeds the number of reported cases," said Dr Fiona Havers, the CDC researcher who led the study.

"Many of these people likely had no symptoms or mild illness and may have had no idea that they were infected."

The US now tests about 700,000 people a day. The new results highlight the need for much more testing to detect infection levels and contain the viral spread in various parts of the country.

Dr Havers stressed that even those who do not know their infection status should wear cloth face coverings, practise social distancing and wash their hands frequently.

REUTERS, NYTIMES