Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
U.S. Hits Grim Milestone As Total Coronavirus Cases Surpass 2 Million
Reuters: U.S. Coronavirus Cases Now Over 2 Million: Reuters Tally
Total U.S. coronavirus cases surpassed 2 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as health officials urge anyone who took part in massive protests for racial justice to get tested. Nationally, new infections are rising slightly after five weeks of declines, according to a Reuters analysis. Part of the increase is due to more testing, which hit a record high on June 5 of 545,690 tests in a single day but has since fallen, according to the COVID-Tracking Project. (Shumaker, 6/10)
Politico: U.S. Coronavirus Cases Surpass 2 Million
It took the U.S. nearly three months to officially hit 1 million confirmed cases on April 28, but just six weeks to double it. Reporting of Covid-19 cases got off to a slow start amid the Trump administration’s delays in rolling out widespread testing capacity. Testing has now ramped up significantly, from nearly 6 million conducted in late April to over 21 million as of this week. But there are also signs of increased spread, as numerous states have started to see a spike in cases. (Roubein, 6/11)
NPR: U.S. Hits 2 Million Coronavirus Cases As Many States See A Surge Of Patients
Texas set new records for COVID-19 hospitalizations on three consecutive days this week, with a total of 2,153 hospitalized patients on Wednesday. The state was among the first to start the reopening process, and Gov. Greg Abbott is moving forward with plans to raise occupancy limits for bars, restaurants, amusement parks and other businesses. Florida is seeing its own new surge, with more people testing positive for the coronavirus on Saturday than any day in the past two months. Since June 2, the state has reported more than 1,000 new cases every day, even as the number of COVID-19 deaths has dropped to double-digits. (Chappell and Stein, 6/10)
CNN: US Coronavirus Cases Surpass 2 Million As Hospitalizations Go Up In Some States
"If the US is unable to check the growth in September, we could be facing worsening trends in October, November and the following months if the pandemic, as we expect, follows pneumonia seasonality," said Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine. (Karimi and Sutton, 6/11)
Bloomberg: Second U.S. Virus Wave Emerges as Cases Top 2 Million
After a national shutdown that arrested the spread, rising illness had been expected as restrictions loosened. The trend has been observed across 22 states in recent weeks, though many increases are steady but slow. In New York, the state hardest hit by Covid-19, Governor Andrew Cuomo only recently started reopening by region. New York City, the epicenter, began the first of four phases Monday. (Court and Baker, 6/10)
