Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
3 Million And Counting: Number Of COVID Cases Reported In U.S. Continues To Accelerate
The U.S. coronavirus outbreak crossed a grim milestone of over 3 million confirmed cases on Tuesday as more states reported record numbers of new infections, and Florida faced an impending shortage of intensive care unit hospital beds. (O'Hare and Shumaker, 7/7)
The U.S. reported 60,000 new coronavirus cases, a single-day record, with infections continuing to rise rapidly in states such as Florida and Texas. The total number in the U.S. neared three million on Wednesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Daily case numbers had fallen below 50,000 for several days before Tuesday, but public-health experts had cautioned that fewer tests take place on weekends and that coronavirus infections that are detected might not be reported until the following week. The U.S. death toll stands at more than 131,000, according to Johns Hopkins. (Hall, 7/8)
In the first five days of July, the U.S. reported 250,000 new cases nationwide. Florida twice set records in that period. The state reported 11,4000 new cases on the Fourth of July alone. (Madani, 7/7)
Texas reported its deadliest day from the coronavirus on Tuesday, with 75 deaths and a record-shattering 10,400 new infections statewide, according to a data analysis and reporting by Hearst Newspapers. Also, Texas set a new record for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, with 9,286. The state now has more than twice as many people hospitalized for the virus as two weeks ago. Some hospitals are quickly running out of space for new patients. (Wallace, 7/7)
