Twelve U.S. states are now reporting at least 100,000 confirmed coronavirus cases as leaders and health officials nationwide struggle to contain the spread of the virus. Child hospitalizations are up 23% in Florida and California now leads the country with the highest number of total infections. Across Texas, more than 10,000 people are hospitalized for treatment of coronavirus.
The twelve states reporting at least 100,000 confirmed cases include (in order from highest to lowest): California, Florida, New York, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Georgia, Arizona, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana.
According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, over 4.2 million people have contracted the virus and the death toll in the U.S. now stands at almost 148,000. Put into context, more Americans have died from the pandemic than the 140,414 Union soldiers who died during the Civil War.
MORE ON THE PANDEMIC
New York is seeing a small uptick in new cases of coronavirus. About 600 new infections, or about 1% of the 57,000 tests performed on Sunday, came back positive. At least 11 people across the state of New York died on Sunday.
The most senior White House official, national security adviser Robert O’Brien, has tested positive for the coronavirus. O’Brien, who has mild symptoms, is now self-isolating and working remotely. There is no risk of exposure to the president or vice president, the White House reported.
More than 40 members of Warrior Creek Missionary Baptist Church were infected with the coronavirus after attending a revival event.
Pastor Daryl Ross said the members, including himself, were tested after one of the members and several of his coworkers tested positive. The Strawberry, Alabama church, located about 60 miles northeast of Birmingham, is now shut down. None of the members are currently hospitalized.
“We knew what we were getting into,” he said. “We knew the possibilities.”
Ross said some social distancing measures were in place during the multi-day revival, but masks were not required.
“We let everybody do what they felt like. … If you were comfortable shaking hands, you shook hands. If you didn’t, you didn’t,” the pastor said.
After at least eight players and two coaches from the Miami Marlins baseball team test positive for coronavirus, Major League Baseball postponed two games yesterday. No new dates have been announced for either game.
As of last Thursday, 84 MLB players and 15 staff members have tested positive in the last month.
As it braces for a long pandemic, Google announced that it will let employees work from home until at least July 2021. The tech giant had previously said it would extend its global voluntary work from home option through the end of this year, with some employees being allowed back into the office sooner.
Other tech companies, including Twitter and Facebook, say they too are planning to allow some employees to continue working remotely indefinitely.
Members and staff of Planet Fitness gyms will be required to wear masks at all times beginning August 1. The gym’s 2,000 locations are currently open in most states, but the surge in new cases nationwide are being linked to increased attendance in restaurants, bars and gyms.
Members who have a medical exemption or do not want to wear a mask will be able to freeze their account until masks are no longer a requirement in clubs, according to a statement by Planet Fitness.
Days after Walmart announced it will be closed for Thanksgiving this November, Target will also be closing their doors. A blog post on the retailer’s website cites the surge in coronavirus cases, adding, “this isn’t a year for crowds.” Target is encouraging shoppers to begin their holiday buying earlier in October to get a head start.
