File Picture
According to a data compiled by Worldometer, with over 16,000 confirmed cases were reported in a single day and overall country tally of COVID-19 standing at the time of filing this report at 85,088, the US has surpassed China (81,285) and Italy (80,589) in terms of number of people infected with the novel coronavirus.
And what is more disturbing is that New York, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio the metropolitan city is the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis .
According to Worldometers, the website that records confirmed cases of infection and deaths globally, the US by Thursday night had 85,088 individuals infected with coronavirus, of which 16,877 were added just in a single day.
A week ago, the number of confirmed cases were 8,000. It has dangerously surged 10 times in the span of a week.
With at least 263 deaths, the US also reported most number of fatalities due to the contagion on a single day on Thursday.
At least 1,290 Americans have died due to coronavirus so far. Over 2,000 coronavirus cases were reportedly in a serious condition.
The number of confirmed cases as well as the deaths due to COVID-19 are likely to increase substantially in the coming days.
In China, from where it all originated, 3,287 people have died due to coronavirus pandemic while Italy has recorded 8,215 such deaths.
US President Donald Trump attributed the spike in the confirmed cases of coronavirus to the large-scale testing of the deadly disease.
“I think it’s a tribute to our testing,” he said, adding “no one knows what the numbers are in China”.
Vice President Mike Pence said it is important for hospitals and labs testing the samples to report back to the Centre for Disease Control and Federal Emergency Management Agency so that the government has full visibility to provide the President with the best counsel.
The Abbott Laboratory, he said, submitted to Food and Drug Administration a national request for approval of a point-of-care test.
This would be the kind of test where one could go to a doctor and get the test done and have the results in no more than 15 minutes.
According to Dr Deborah Brix, coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, 55 per cent of all new cases continue out of the New York — New York Metro area. This includes New Jersey as well, she said and expressed concern over the coronavirus spread.
“At the same time, 19 of the 50 states that had early cases, but have persistently low level of cases and at this point have less than 200 cases,” she said.
