Coronavirus Deaths Rise Dramatically In Several States: Blog

ACROSS AMERICA — Election Day exit polls and new coronavirus data paint a grim picture of a sick and divided nation, with cases, hospitalizations and deaths on the rise as Americans await the trickle of mail-in votes that could sway the course of history.

On Tuesday, 13 states — mostly in the Midwest and Southwest — reported record-high numbers of people hospitalized with the COVID-19 virus.

Similarly, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Colorado, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Maine all reported a 30 percent or higher increase in hospitalizations compared with last week.

The rise in hospitalizations parallels an ongoing increase in new cases. The U.S. this week reported an average of more than 88,000 cases per day, the highest since the pandemic began.

Deaths are also on the rise in several states, with the nation averaging 800 per day in late October, according to data from the New York Times.

While the average death toll remains lower than what was seen in the spring when the virus struck dense urban areas, more-rural states such as North Dakota and South Dakota have reported increases in deaths of more than 50 percent in the last 14 days.

In the same time frame, deaths have risen by 104 percent in Wisconsin and 160 percent in Montana.

All told, at least 1,130 more deaths were reported Tuesday.

Infections are also on the rise among children in the U.S. In the one-week period ending Oct. 29, more than 61,000 new cases in children were reported, according to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Data shows the last week of October marked the largest one-week increase in cases among children since the pandemic began.

Dr. Yvonne A. Maldonado, chair of the academy’s committee on infectious disease, called the increase “disturbing” and urged parents to take precautions as the holidays approach.

“We would encourage family holiday gatherings to be avoided if possible, especially if there are high-risk individuals in the household. If not, the number of individuals should be limited and should adhere to local, county, state guidelines around social distancing, masking for all including children over 2 years of age and frequent hand hygiene.”

Fearing the effect the virus could have on cramped prisons, New Jersey on Wednesday is set to release more than 2,000 inmates who are within one year of completing their sentence. Inmates convicted of sexual assault or murder do not qualify for the early release.

The inmates will be released from state prisons and halfway houses or will be taken by bus to transit hubs, the New York Times reports.

More than 1,000 additional prisoners are set to be released in the coming weeks and months in New Jersey.

Meanwhile, exit polls showed deep divisions on the coronavirus along party lines. Results show that people who see the pandemic as the country’s biggest issue voted mostly for former Vice President Joe Biden, while voters mainly concerned with the economy and jobs voted for President Donald Trump.

About half of voters said the virus is at least somewhat under control, while roughly half described the coronavirus as out of control.

On Tuesday, Texas overtook California as having the largest total number of coronavirus cases since the pandemic began.

Cases in Texas rose to 938,503 after Gov. Greg Abbott relaxed restrictions in the fall, allowing restaurants and gyms to increase capacity. The state narrowly surpassed California, which had reported 938,119 cases.

California is followed by Florida, which has reported 812,063 confirmed cases.

In the Midwest, the University of Wisconsin has canceled its second consecutive football game after at least 27 players and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus in the past week. Among the positive cases is coach Paul Chryst, the New York Times reports.

In a memo this week, White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah L. Birx called for “much more aggressive action” in fighting the virus. “We are entering the most concerning and most deadly phase of this pandemic … leading to increasing mortality,” Birx said.

The warning came as the U.S. reported just shy of 100,000 new cases on Friday and reached a seven-day average of over 85,500 cases on Monday.

Even as daily average cases over the past two weeks nearly doubled what they were two weeks prior, several Republican governors across the country have taken a hands-off approach to managing the virus.

In recent days, governors in South Dakota, North Dakota, Tennessee and Alaska have emphasized personal responsibility while saying that state government should play little to no role in slowing the spread, the New York Times reports.

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnel on Wednesday announced his intent to put forth a fifth coronavirus relief bill by the end of the year.

"We need another rescue package. The Senate goes back in session next Monday. ... I think we need to do it, and I think we need to do it before the end of the year," McConnell said to reporters in his home state of Kentucky, according to The Hill. "I think that's Job One when we get back."

The announcement comes on the heels of failed relief bill negotiations between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and other lawmakers that dragged on for weeks leading up to the election.

In October, McConnell urged the White House to avoid making a deal on a $2 trillion bill Pelosi and Mnuchin spent months negotiating.

At the same time, Democrats blocked a proposed $500 billion relief McConnell put before the senate. A month before that, McConnell tried moving a nearly identical bill that also fell short along party lines.

It's unclear what McConnell intends to propose when senators return to Washington, but he said he agrees with Pelosi that a full-year stimulus deal is necessary.

"The Speaker and I agree that we ought to do an omnibus appropriations bill and do it in December, no matter who wins the election. It's a basic function of government that we haven't handled very well in recent years," McConnell said.

The Latest Numbers

At least 1,130 new coronavirus deaths and 92,660 new cases were reported in the United States on Tuesday, according to a New York Times database. Over the past week, there have been an average of 88,168 cases per day, an increase of 46 percent from the average two weeks earlier.

As of Tuesday, 36 states and Puerto Rico remained above the positive testing rate recommended by the World Health Organization to safely reopen. To safely reopen, the WHO recommends states remain at 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days.

More than 9.46 million people in the United States had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Wednesday afternoon, and more than 233,500 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news via The New York Times or Washington Post.

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