US Surpasses China And Italy In Number Of Infected With COVID-19

As of Thursday, the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. surpassed those in China and Italy, with New York being one of the hardest-hit states.

What Happened

On Thursday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 83,329 in the U.S. Every state reported confirmed cases of the disease and there have been 1,222 deaths associated with it, reported the New York Times.

According to the World Health Organization, The total number infected in China and Italy stands at 81,961 and 73,386, respectively. China saw only 113 new infections, with 5,210 newly confirmed cases in Italy, as of Friday.
Worldwide, there have been 462,684 cases and 20,834 deaths. New infections stand at 49,219 with 2,401 deaths.

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Why It Matters

In the U.S., deaths from COVID-19 have risen four times in the last week. The hardest-hit states include New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Washington, and California.

New York has half of the known U.S. coronavirus cases and has been testing aggressively. The state has identified 37,269 cases.
The federal government’s response is coming under criticism, with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo urging implementation of a law mandating companies to produce equipment in national emergencies. Ventilators are one such example.

The governor tweeted, “I do not understand the reluctance to use the federal Defense Production Act to manufacture ventilators. If not now, when?”

What Else

Even as New York faces a critical ventilator shortage, President Donald Trump wants an economy “rarin to go” in three weeks’ just in time for Easter.

The Senate meanwhile, has passed a $2 trillion stimulus bill to support the economy.