Southern states reported record numbers of COVID-19-related deaths as the nationwide death toll increased by about 1,600 in a single day.
The Florida state health department reported 253 new coronavirus deaths Thursday, its third straight single-day record of COVID-19 deaths. The state has confirmed 6,586 deaths. Despite record-breaking fatalities and more than 456,000 confirmed cases, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has not issued a mask mandate.
Florida’s total case count is second only to California’s 488,629 cases. California set single-day records twice this week for the number of coronavirus-related deaths, making the total number of fatalities due to COVID-19 nearly 9,000.
Arizona also reported a record increase with 172 fatalities on Thursday, bringing that state’s death toll to 3,626.
The number of deaths across the United States surpassed 151,600 Thursday. More than 4.4 million cases have been confirmed in the U.S. so far.
Nearly three-quarters of people in the U.S. have an unfavorable view of China, the highest level in 15 years and up 26 percentage points since 2018. New polling from Pew Research Center shows that a large share of the U.S. population blames Beijing for failing to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Americans see Sino-U.S. relations in bleak terms,” Pew said in Thursday’s report.
About two-thirds of all people in the country, 64%, say China has done a bad job dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, and 78% blame the Chinese government for fueling the global spread of the coronavirus.
The pandemic caused the largest economic contraction in U.S. history. Gross domestic product shrunk at a 32.9% annual rate in the second quarter, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Thursday.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers issued a statewide mask mandate Thursday to go into effect on Saturday until Sept. 28. People over age 5 will have to wear a mask in public spaces outdoors as well as indoors around anyone they don’t live with.
“While I know emotions are high when it comes to wearing face coverings in public, my job as governor is to put people first and to do what’s best for the people of our state, so that’s what I am going to do,” Evers said.
The number of new coronavirus infections confirmed in Wisconsin has risen throughout July. The seven-day average number of new cases the week of July 7 was 556. The average then jumped to 938 new cases each day between July 22-26. The state has so far confirmed more than 52,000 cases.
A combined survey conducted by researchers at Harvard, Rutgers, Northwestern, and Northeastern universities has found that residents of 44 states now have a lower opinion of the way their governor is handling the coronavirus outbreak than they did in April when the coronavirus pandemic appeared to have reached its peak.
The states where residents are most pleased with the performance of their governors have been split along party lines. Of the six governors with the highest approval ratings, three are Republicans, and three are Democrats. Republican governors make up the majority of the bottom of the list, with 14 of the 15 lowest-ranked state executives belonging to the GOP.
After months of marked success avoiding outbreaks, Vietnam is suddenly seeing its situation worsen. In just over a few days, 47 new coronavirus infections in Vietnam were confirmed after about three months coronavirus-free, Reuters reported. The surge in cases, which has been connected to a single patient in the tourist city Da Nang, has spread to six cities and provinces in six days, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and the Central Highlands. Government authorities are closing nonessential services and banning large public gatherings in Da Nang and other nearby cities and closing bars and clubs in Hanoi. They’re also planning to test 21,000 people in the capital who recently returned from Da Nang.
Senate Democrats blocked measures put forth by Republicans to extend expiring unemployment benefits after both parties failed to reach an agreement on another massive coronavirus relief package.
Republicans voted to open debate next week for the consideration of proposals to extend the weekly boost to unemployment benefits at a level at or below the current $600 weekly amount. Democrats signaled earlier they would not support a standalone measure to prevent the expiration of the added benefits because it would undercut efforts to pass a much larger spending bill.
“Sure, they’ll call the Republicans names for wanting to make sure the assistance doesn’t pay more not to work, but the Democratic leader gave away the game this morning,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. “He said on the House floor that he now opposes continuing the aid at the $600 level.”
Brazil’s first lady Michelle Bolsonaro has tested positive for the coronavirus weeks after her husband, President Jair Bolsonaro, tested positive for the virus. A government statement Thursday said the first lady is “in good health and will follow all established protocols.” She was last seen in public Wednesday in Brasilia with her husband.
Herman Cain, a former presidential candidate, died at age 74. He had been hospitalized for the coronavirus. He ran unsuccessfully for both the Republican nomination for president in 2012 and the U.S. Senate in Georgia in 2004. He served as CEO of Godfather’s Pizza from 1986 to 1996. Cain had been present at President Trump’s Tulsa rally on June 20. Cain was seen not wearing a mask, and some pundits blamed the rally for his death. Trump called Cain a “great man” and an “American patriot.”
