US Sees Record Jump In COVID-19 Infections For 2nd Day In A Row As Biden Claims He’d Make Mask-Wearing Mandatory: Live Updates

As we reported last night, the US saw another record (or near record, depending on who you ask) jump in newly confirmed COVID-19 cases yesterday thanks to new records in Florida and Texas, and record (or near-record) numbers across much of the south and west.

According to the Washington Post, the final count for Thursday’s increase was 39,327 new infections reported by state health departments across the country. That number surpasses WaPo’s total set a day earlier (though some sources put the number of cases reported Wednesday as high as 45k). Texas alone reported a record 5,996 new cases (along with another record high for coronavirus hospitalizations) last night and, as WaPo points out, the Lone Star State’s rolling average has increased by 340% since Memorial Day.

With the US facing an unexpectedly large pickup in new cases, the median age of those infected has fallen sharply, down from 65 to around 35 today. This has been widely cited as one reason why deaths have continued to plateau, or even trend lower, amid all the insanity.

For the first time in nearly two months, the White House coronavirus task force will hold a news briefing on Friday to address the situation. But unlike previous briefings, VP Mike Pence will lead, and President Trump isn’t expected to make an appearance.

Last night, Joe Biden just took the “politicization” of mask-wearing up a notch by declaring that, if he were president, he would mandate mask-wearing in public, even though masks are only recommended to be worn in indoor locations (especially those with poor ventilation), or in outdoor areas where social distancing simply isn’t possible.

Coronavirus hospitalizations in New York dipped below 1,000 for the first time since March 18, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Thursday. The WHO also said the virus could once again “push health systems to the brink” in Europe after 30 countries across the continent have seen cases rebound over the past 2 weeks.

As Australia learns the hard way that there’s nothing worse than declaring “victory” over the virus, only for it to come surging back a few weeks later, supermarkets around the country are being forced to impose limits on toilet paper purchases as Australians engage in another wave of “panic buying” amid fears that lockdowns might return (even though the number of cases reported over the last week is relatively minuscule). Victoria alone saw 30 new cases reported Friday, while a few other regions have reported one, or a handful, of new cases.

Seriously Melbourne? Is toilet paper stockpiling back? This is a Woolworths at Craigieburn Plaza right now (Wednesday morning). pic.twitter.com/Ogbifw89Nk

— Paul Dowsley (@pauldowsley7) June 24, 2020

However, deaths in the US have continued to fall, with the 7-day average for the entire US hitting its lowest level since March.

The 7-day average of COVID-19 deaths is now 560.

But with this many cases piling up, it seems unlikely to keep falling for much longer. pic.twitter.com/9rhtuXcwPj

— The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) June 25, 2020

Of course, every pundit inevitably points out that this trend likely won’t last for too much longer even as there’s plenty of reason to believe that deaths this time around won’t be as severe since we’ve learned more about how best to protect the most vulnerable to serious illness – ie those in long-term care homes, who in several instances died by the dozens as the virus tore through institution after institution.

Taking a step back, all but one of the 15 states seeing the biggest accelerations in new cases and hospitalizations are situated in the south or the west. That state is Missouri, which, as the Atlantic correctly points out, is sometimes lumped in with the south.

Zooming back out, 15 states have now set their record for reported cases since June 19. All but one (Missouri) is in the South and West.

(And we know some people do classify MO in the South.) pic.twitter.com/CD4ArI27nJ

— The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) June 25, 2020

The cumulative 7-day totals from the past week are already on track to make this past week the worst in terms of newly confirmed infections.

If you want more in-depth analysis of the last week, our team members put together this update. https://t.co/9D4MVeC8ya pic.twitter.com/8Zd1Gx7sxr

— The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) June 25, 2020

Yesterday marked another reported high in the outbreak according to the Atlantic’s stats from last night. Of course, the final numbers reported a day earlier ended up being over 45k for the day, according to some estimates. But according to the data, both Tuesday and Wednesday of this week saw record or near-record numbers of newly confirmed cases. Furthermore, while testing is rising across the country,

Even subtracting Wisconsin’s probables, today marked a new record high for reported cases in the outbreak at just over 39k. pic.twitter.com/oSl6FF9hKa

— The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) June 25, 2020

As Beijing unwinds more restrictions following its latest flare-up, Japan has just confirmed more than 100 new daily COVID-19 cases, the largest daily total since May 9, while in India, the biggest 24-hour spike in cases (17,296 new infections reported) pushed the country’s total case number close to half a million (490,401 in total) while deaths climbed by 407 bringing the death toll to 15,301. On the bright side, the country is seeing an improvement in the recovery rate for the most severe cases, with it climbing to 57.43%. Also, deaths per 100,000 stood at just 1.86, well below the global average of 6.24 per 100,000, per Al Jazeera.