It’s Not Just Big Gatherings Driving Fall Surge; Small Ones Also A Threat, CDC Director Warns
With cases on the rise in at least 36 states, especially in the Midwest, CDC Director Robert Redfield says: "What we're seeing as the increasing threat right now is actually acquisition of infection through small household gatherings." And NPR examines why the U.S. death rate is far higher than other nations.
Small gatherings are becoming a growing source of Covid-19 spread, a leading health expert said, as at least 36 states are now reporting increased cases of the virus and hospitalizations are on the rise nationwide. "In the public square, we're seeing a higher degree of vigilance and mitigation steps in many jurisdictions," US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said during a call with the nation's governors on Tuesday. Audio of the call was obtained by CNN. (Maxouris, 10/14)
U.S. coronavirus cases are rising again, driven by rapid transmission in Midwestern states and sparking fears that a forewarned wave of infections this fall and winter has begun. For almost a month, new U.S. cases have been trending upward. Since Saturday, more than 20 states have hit a new high in their seven-day average of case counts, and more than half of those states set records again on Tuesday, according to data tracked by The Washington Post. (Wan and Dupree, 10/13)
North Dakota looks poised to become the No. 1 state in the nation by cumulative Covid-19 cases per capita, having surged past Florida and Mississippi with Louisiana just ahead. South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Montana are also quickly adding cases. (Levin, 10/13)
During this pandemic, people in the United States are currently dying at rates unparalleled elsewhere in the world. A new report in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that over the last 5 months per capita deaths in the U.S., both from COVID-19 and other causes have been far greater than in 18 other high-income countries. "It's shocking. It's horrible," says Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a professor of health policy and medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the authors of the study. (Beaubien, 10/13)
In updates from the states 鈥
Coronavirus cases are rising in Michigan and COVID-19 hospitalizations have spiked 80%聽in recent weeks, climbing in all regions of the state, health officials warned聽Tuesday. "It is very possible that this is the beginning of a second wave," said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. (Shamus, 10/13)
Declaring Utah鈥檚 continuing surge of coronavirus cases 鈥渦nacceptable,鈥 Gov. Gary Herbert announced the state will abandon its previous color codes for a new strategy that ties restrictions to local case numbers and testing rates. Masks will be required in several of Utah鈥檚 counties under the statewide order. (Alberty, 10/13)
