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Editor's Note:
The writer, Mr. I. Hussain Janjua is a senior media professional and analyst having experience of research & broadcast journalism in different organisations. He is a non-resident fellow of Chengdu Institute of World Affairs (CIWA). (Email: [email protected]; twitter: @ihussainjanjua)
The United States has suffered the worst as the toll with Corona pandemic has surpassed the 220,000 fatalities figure along with a record deficit of $3.1 trillion in the fiscal year ended September 30, the number of cases having passed eight million, while global daily infections also setting a new record.
On the other hand, millions of Europeans also faced tough new coronavirus restrictions as respective governments have stepped up efforts to slow the surge in infections, after the World Health Organization reported a very concerning 44 percent rise in European cases over one week.
The latest coronavirus update for the US as a whole includes an ominous warning inherent in it with winter months approaching, particularly the flu season --- several states recently hitting records in terms of coronavirus cases.
In one of his many recent coronavirus updates, White House health Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci had warned Americans to be prepared for a hard fall and winter and to be prepared to hunker down and do the right things to get the coronavirus pandemic under control.
It’s extremely critical task with approaching flu season period, when the flu will be spreading at the same time that Covid-19 is still a very real and persistent threat, giving the US a kind of double whammy in the form of two nasty respiratory viruses that could potentially strain the health care system.
The Business Insider analysis says the US has recorded the new coronavirus cases increasing fast as the Covid Tracking Project data also shows that over the weekend 12 states hit a new record regarding their seven-day rolling average of coronavirus cases. The states included Alaska, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oregon, South Dakota, and Utah, all of which reported more COVID-19 cases in the last seven days than ever before in a one-week time frame.
This is why Fauci said, during a panel discussion in September with Harvard Medical School, that as we get into the fall and we do more indoor things, we are likely to see upticks in Covid-19. Along these same lines, a Covid-19 model from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine is forecasting that the total death count in the US from coronavirus will almost double where it stands now, to 400,000, by February.
“These are extremely alarming trends, and there should be warning bells going off around the country,” Dr Leana Wen, emergency medicine physician told CNN in an interview.
In places with chilly winter weather, the usual reprieves from the cold—cozy indoor gatherings and vacations to warmer climes—will come with significant risks, but going outside and meeting others will still be okay if people keep proper distance and wear masks. “It may not be spreading a blanket in Central Park and having a picnic, but certainly there are outdoor activities that one can do,” says David Vlahov, an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Nursing.
According to Dr. Chris Murray, the chair of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, told the CNN the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in the United States could spike to as high as 6,000 people a day by December in the worst-case scenario.
“By the time December rolls around, if we don't do anything at all, the daily death toll in the US would be much higher than the 2,000 deaths a day by December. It could be as high as 6,000 deaths a day.”
The only redeeming factor could be early success as for as anti-corona vaccine is concerned as researchers are testing 46 vaccines in clinical trials on humans, and at least 91 preclinical vaccines are under active investigation in animals. However, one must not forget that vaccines typically require years of research and testing before reaching the clinic, but at the moment scientists are racing to produce a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine by next year.
Several factors are responsible for the surge of Covid-19 cases and deaths in America during the summer that included states reopening, lockdown fatigue, and a season typically filled with vacations and holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. People gathered and celebrated indoors — at bars, restaurants, and friends’ and family’s homes. Millions of people got sick, and tens of thousands died.
Trump, for his part, has encouraged rapid reopening. From his tweets in the spring to his recent demands that schools reopen, Trump has pushed forward with his efforts to return society to normal even as the coronavirus keeps spreading and killing people in the US. Indeed, Trump’s cavalier attitude toward the virus, as he attended big campaign rallies and refused to wear a mask, most likely caused his own sickness as well. There is still time to act but with seriousness. Cities, states, and the country as a whole could take social distancing seriously again
But the forthcoming presidential election and Christmas also pose a great threat in terms of upsurge in the pandemic as both the monumental events are just weeks away. Already the rising coronavirus cases in key presidential battleground states are the latest worry for election officials and voters fearing chaos or exposure to the virus at polling places despite months of planning.
(AISA PACIFIC DAILY)
