The US on Thursday reported more than 55,000 new COVID-19 cases, a new daily global record for the coronavirus pandemic, as infections rose in a majority of states.
A surge in COVID-19 cases over the past week has put US President Donald Trump’s handling of the crisis under the microscope and led several governors to halt plans to reopen their states after strict lockdowns.
The daily US tally on late Thursday stood at 55,274, topping the previous single-day record of 54,771, set by Brazil on June 19.
Photo: AFP
COVID-19 cases are rising in 37 US states including Florida, which on Thursday confirmed more than 10,000 new cases.
That marked the state’s largest daily spike so far and a level that exceeded single-day tallies from any European country at the height of the outbreak there.
California, another epicenter, saw positive tests climb 37 percent with hospitalizations over the past two weeks up 56 percent.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican who has previously resisted calls to make masks mandatory, on Thursday ordered them to be worn in all counties with more than 20 coronavirus cases.
“In the past few weeks, there has been a swift and substantial spike in coronavirus cases,” Abbott said in a video message. “We need to refocus on slowing the spread, but this time, we want to do it without closing down Texas again.”
Texas on Thursday reported nearly 8,000 new cases.
New infections in the past 14 days were rising in 37 states compared with the two weeks prior, according to a Reuters analysis.
The US has recorded nearly 129,000 deaths, nearly a quarter of the known global total.
The wave of new cases has several governors halting or back-pedaling on plans to reopen their states after months of strict lockdowns, closing beaches and canceling fireworks displays over the upcoming Independence Day weekend.
“We are not out of this crisis. We are still in the first wave of this crisis. It requires some level of personal responsibility,” California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said at a daily briefing on the pandemic.
Earlier on Thursday, Kansas required face coverings after a 46 percent spike in infections there last week.
The sweeping shutdowns earlier in the pandemic devastated the US economy and threw millions of Americans out of work, leaving governors reluctant to take such draconian steps again, even if the lifting of restrictions likely touched off the new outbreak.
A report released on Thursday by the US Department of Labor showed that the reopenings had a dramatic impact on hiring, with the US last month creating jobs at a record pace. However, employment remains 14.7 million jobs below pre-pandemic levels.
“Today’s announcement proves that our economy is roaring back,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
The latest high-frequency data assembled by US Federal Reserve officials, economists and private companies suggests economic activity stalled in recent days during new clampdowns.
“More than ever, we’re concerned about the worsening health situation and its impact on the burgeoning recovery. Rebounding mobility and poor use of protective equipment will make for a dangerous summer cocktail,” Oxford Economics analyst Gregory Daco wrote.
Former US vice president Joe Biden, Trump’s expected rival for the presidency in November, criticized him on Thursday.
“Quit claiming victory with almost 15 million Americans still out of work because of the crisis. Quit ignoring the reality of this pandemic and the horrifying loss of American life,” Biden said in a campaign speech.
Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, who last month attended a Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been hospitalized with COVID-19, a statement on his Twitter account said. It did not say where he was infected.
Eight members of the campaign’s staff who were in Tulsa for the June 20 rally have also tested positive.
US Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday was in Florida, where he met with Governor Ron DeSantis and said he supported the governor’s “prudent steps” to slow the spread of the virus.
Earlier, Pence said he and Trump supported decisions to pause reopenings, but added that he saw no need for a national mandate for face coverings.
A US YouTuber who caused outrage for filming himself kissing a statue commemorating Korean wartime sex slaves has been sentenced to six months in prison, a court in Seoul said yesterday. Johnny Somali, 25, gained notoriety several years ago for recording himself doing a series of provocative stunts in South Korea and Japan, and streaming them on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. South Korean authorities indicted Somali — whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael — in 2024 on public order violations and obstruction of business, and banned him from leaving the country. “The court has sentenced him to six months in
Former Lima mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga, a Peruvian presidential hopeful, gathered hundreds of supporters in Lima on Tuesday and gave authorities 24 hours to annul the first round of the country’s election over allegations of fraud. Lopez Aliaga is locked in a tight three-way race with two other candidates for second place in Sunday’s vote. The election runner-up wins a ticket to June’s presidential run-off against front-runner Keiko Fujimori. “I am giving them 24 hours to declare this electoral fraud null and void,” said Lopez Aliaga, surrounded by a crowd of several hundred supporters. “If it is not declared null and void tomorrow,
Four contenders are squaring up to succeed Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the UN, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall are each to face grillings by 193 member states and non-governmental organizations for three hours today and tomorrow. It is only the second time the UN has held a public question-and-answer, a format created in 2016 to boost transparency. Ultimately the five permanent members of the UN’s top body, the Security Council, hold the power, wielding vetoes over who leads the
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps. The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21km race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, said a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race began. That was faster than the human world record holder, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race. The performance by the robot marked a significant step forward
RSS