The United States had over 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases as of Tuesday, accounting for about a third of the global tally.
More than 58,360 people have died, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker, a toll that is likely to reach the milestone of 60,000 in days.
Yet the rate of new infections and deaths has been on the decline, leading to increased urgency to ease economic restrictions and lift some stay-at-home orders.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was the latest to announce steps to reopen the state’s economy Tuesday, unveiling a four-phase plan to open retail businesses and restaurants gradually, starting with those that provide curbside pickup and small businesses with few in-person customers at once, according to the Los Angeles Times. Newsom did not offer a timeline in which the state would move from phase to phase.
All states lag Georgia in easing restrictions. The state moved to open nail and hair salons, gyms, bowling alleys, tattoo parlors, and more last week. On Monday, theaters and restaurants were permitted to open as well.
Governors in some Southern and Midwestern states have permitted restaurants and places of worship to reopen as long as they cap the number of customers allowed inside at once and people abide by social distancing rules. In many states, bars will remain closed for at least a few more weeks.
Western European countries that experienced the worst outbreaks — France, Italy, and Spain — also moved to ease their nationwide lockdown restrictions. Spain is in the process of reopening, while Italy and France still plan to ease lockdown restrictions on May 4 and May 11, respectively.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told Parliament Tuesday that the move to ease stay-at-home measures will be gradual, starting with areas of the country with the lowest numbers of cases. After May 11, primary schools will open. Middle schools will open later in the month, and high schools will open in early June. The government is also aiming to test about 700,000 people per week starting May 11, France 24 reported.
Similarly, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said starting May 4, people will be able to visit relatives in small numbers, and restaurants will open for takeout only. People will be able to go to bars, restaurants, and beauty salons starting June 1, the BBC reported.
President Trump, reminded Tuesday that he said in February that the number of cases would go down to zero, said that “it will go down to zero ultimately.”
“We’re going to have more cases because we are doing much more testing, double anybody else. Somebody said if you had everybody else combined, that would be a number, and it will be at the appropriate time, it will be down to zero,” he added.
The true case count is likely higher than what has been reported by Johns Hopkins University so far because not enough people have been tested for the virus. Though the U.S. has ramped up testing efforts, the number of people who have received a diagnostic test is just a drop in the bucket.
According to the COVID Tracking Project, nearly 5.8 million people in the U.S. have been tested for the virus — less than 2% of the population.
Death is not the only bad outcome of the virus. Doctors in the U.S. and other countries have seen cases of widespread organ damage in relation to COVID-19, leading many to believe that the coronavirus is very different from other respiratory viruses. It’s nearly impossible to know why the virus can lead to kidney failures, strokes, and heart attacks without conducting invasive testing or autopsies, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, but it’s possible that when the body is weakened overall due to severe illness, the heart, kidneys, and other organs can suffer. It’s also not uncommon for people who have been hooked up to ventilators to suffer multiple organ failures.
“One of the key things that’s different from the flu is that this seems to be an inflammatory process that’s affecting multiple organs,” Dr. Junaid Khan, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley, California, said. “People from COVID-19 can get super sick, and when you’re super sick, other organs can be affected. Is it from the COVID or from being super sick? Time will tell, but that’s one of the things we’re most concerned about.”
House leaders abandoned plans to return to Washington next week as coronavirus cases continue to tick up in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region, and it would be dangerous for members to travel to D.C. from their home states. The Senate, meanwhile, will reconvene Monday as planned. The change in course comes just a day after Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House would also meet May 4.
“The House physician’s view is that there is a risk to members that is one he would not recommend taking,” Hoyer said Tuesday.
He added that House leaders will wait until the next economic relief package is up for a vote.
Trump moved Tuesday to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure under the Defense Production Act, with the goal of keeping plants open and staving off a meat shortage, according to the Associated Press. Several food processing companies, such as Tyson Foods, have had to close most of their plants as thousands of employees have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Senior White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the White House is “studying” the possibility of another round of cash payments, in addition to the $1,200 each that most people have received, being part of the next economic stimulus package.
“I expect that it’s very likely there will be a ‘phase four’ deal, and we’re going to be speaking with the president throughout the week about what he thinks should be in there,” Hassett told reporters Tuesday.
