The US, on Saturday, saw a record of 79,852 new cases. Hospitalizations are also rising and have hit a two-month high and deaths are trending upwards, a Reuters report reads. New cases have been on the rise in Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. COVID-19 cases in the Midwest hit an all-time high for the ninth day in a row on Saturday. Hospitals are strained in several states due to the increase in the number of patients being hospitalised.
As per data from John Hopkins, the death toll in the US due to the coronavirus is 224,751.
The city of El Paso in Texas is asking residents to stay home for the next two weeks, with the El Paso County shutting its parks and recreational facilities for 14 days. The County Judge has also imposed a curfew from 10 pm to 5 am.
COVID-19 patients in the El Paso area has tripled to a record 786. “If we continue on this trend, we risk detrimental effects to our entire healthcare system,” the city's public health director, Angela Mora, said in a statement.
On Saturday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott sought a permit from the federal government to allow the use of an army medical centre at Fort Bliss by non-coronavirus patients to ease the burden on hospitals.
On Saturday Joe Biden slammed Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus and said, “Donald Trump said and is still saying, we’re rounding the corner. It’s going away. We’re learning how to live with it. We’re not learning how to live with it. You’re asking us to learn how to die with it and it’s wrong.”
Former president Barack Obama also slammed Trump administration's handling of the pandemic. “The idea that somehow this White House has done anything but completely screw this thing up is nonsense,” he said at a drive-in rally in Miami, Florida.
Mike Pence's chief of staff tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. Pence, however, tested negative and will continue to campaign for Trump's re-election. Two close aides of the Vice President tested positive for COVID-19.
