(AP): New confirmed COVID1-9 infections in the United States have climbed to an all-time high of more than 86,000 per day on average, underscoring the vexing issue confronting President Donald Trump or Joe Biden as perilous pandemic surges.
According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, daily new confirmed coronavirus cases have surged 45 percent over the past two weeks, to a record 7-day average of 86,352.
The increasing cases are setting records all around the country just as the holidays and winter approach, demonstrating the challenge that either Trump or Biden will face in the coming months.
Meanwhile, deaths from the novel coronavirus are also on the rise, up 15 percent to an average of 846 deaths every day. The total US death toll is already more than 232,000, and total confirmed US cases have surpassed nine million.
Earlier on Wednesday, several states reported grim numbers that are fuelling the national trends. Texas reported 9,048 new cases and 126 deaths, and the number of coronavirus patients in Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma hospitals set records.
Dr Robert Murphy, executive director of the Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University said, “Trump’s current term doesn’t end until January 20. In the 86 days until then, 100,000 more Americans will likely die from the virus if the nation doesn’t shift course.”
Dr Leana Wen, a public health expert at George Washington University said, “Where we are is in an extremely dire place as a country. Every metric that we have is trending in the wrong direction. This is a virus that will continue to escalate at an accelerated speed and that is not going to stop on its own.”
