Coronavirus: United States exceeded 200,000 positive cases

The number of positive cases of coronavirus recorded in the United States exceeded 200,000 this Wednesday afternoon (local time). The figures come from the Johns Hopkins University specialized website, which provides real-time global progress statistics on the pandemic..

The country is at the top of the world list of announced transmissions, with almost double those registered by Italy, second with more than 110,000. And considering the contagion slope of each of the nations, as well as the number of inhabitants in their territories, the United States is likely to double cases in the next 24 hours.

Almost 4,500 people have died as a result of the disease in the country, and the White House estimated yesterday that even if the country’s inhabitants respect the social isolation measures imposed at the national and regional level -they vary depending on the state, since the federal government has not imposed a total quarantine- there could be between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths as a result of the disease. The pessimistic scenario, meanwhile, predicts more than 2 million deaths.

It was the first time that the Donald Trump administration published official estimates about the human cost that the pandemic can have. On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the United States, had already indicated that the virus could cause between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths in the country.

Furthermore, the President asked the population to “prepare for two very hard weeks, weeks like we have never seen before. I have spoken to paramedics who were in war zones and they tell me they never saw anything like this. They are like war zones, ”he said, referring to hospitals in the areas with the most cases, whose health systems are overwhelmed. During that period, he indicated, the peak of coronavirus cases will occur in the country, which already has the highest number in the world.

The epicenter of the pandemic in the country is in the state of New York, which in its daily report on Wednesday reported that it has already registered around 83,000 cases – thus exceeding the official figure for China – and 1,941 deaths. Governor Andrew Cuomo reported that 391 fatalities and nearly 8,000 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours. Thus, the daily balance shows more deaths than the day before (332), but a decrease with respect to infections on Tuesday (9,298).

Of the confirmed cases, more than half (47,439) belong to New York City. The governor also reported that at the state level there are 12,226 hospitalized patients and 3,022 in Intensive Care.

“If more people comply with social distancing, the state will need only 75,000 hospital beds, less than the 110.00 estimated before,” Cuomo explained, again requesting that the recommendations to avoid infections be followed.

The Democratic governor mentioned several models of projections and warned that the crisis could extend until the boreal summer, possibly until July. According to him, the best way to resume the activity is to launch a wide-ranging rapid testing strategy so that people can rule out being an asymptomatic case that can infect other people.

About his brother, the presenter of CNN Chris Cuomo, who tested positive Tuesday, reported feeling “fine,” albeit with a fever, and said his case is a lesson that no one is immune to the disease. “He is my best friend and he scares me because there is nothing I can do for him. I am concerned as everyone is concerned about their families, “he added.