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New Covid-19 cases in the US may be on the decline, but some officials across the country’s heartland reported worrisome news this week.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday the state had reached an “unfortunate milestone” by reporting at least one case of the virus in every county. The state’s infection rate, she said, “continues an alarming trend in the wrong direction.”
The state’s seven-day average for new daily cases was 561 Monday, up from about 100 in mid-June, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
To make matters worse, Kelly said, as college students return to campus, several clusters have been reported at universities across the state. Last week, the University of Kansas reported more than 80 cases of the virus.
The college is among Dozens across the country that have reported Covid-19 cases after students moved into dorms.
In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear warned cases could spike again as the state reported more deaths last week than “in any other week battling the virus.”
Beshear said the state is seeing “troubling signs” and is at “the same moment that Kentucky was at in the beginning of the summer.”
“More people are trying to get out of the quarantine than the health department has recommended,” the governor said.
The governors’ messages come as, for the country as a whole, case and death rates are dropping, offering hope that the summer surge may be waning. But, alarmed by grim forecasts for what the fall and winter could look like in the US, health experts say now isn’t the time to ease prevention measures.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield expressed concern last week about the heart of the country getting “stuck,” while other parts of the US, including across the South, were reporting improvements.
“That is why it’s so important for Middle America to recognize the mitigation that we talked about … it’s for Middle America too, the Nebraskas, the Oklahomas,” Redfield said. “We don’t need to have a third wave in the heartland right now.”
The US has recorded more than 5.7 million infections and at least 177,276 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
New daily cases over a week averaged about 43,000 as of Monday, down from a peak average of 67,317 on July 22, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
The country’s Covid-19 death rate also has dipped. The daily average across a week hovered above 1,000 for 25 straight days from late July into mid-August — but it’s been below 1,000 since Friday.
The role super spreading events play
Throughout the summer, US leaders and health officials have cautioned against large social gatherings saying it was those types of events that helped fuel a surge in positive cases. Earlier this month, a Georgia study showed super spreading events have been especially important in driving the pandemic in rural areas.
But the warnings haven’t brought gatherings to a halt.
Online Reporter