Hotspot States Show Signs of Improvement as US COVID-19 Deaths Pass 150,000

BY ALLEN ZHONG

In Texas, new cases went over 10,000 per day several times between July 7 and July 18. The number decreased afterward. Data from the 7-day moving average shows the state likely passed the peak period of the CCP virus outbreak.

However, cases in Missouri and Oklahoma are still going up.

The death toll in the United States for COVID-19 passed 150,000 on Wednesday.

There are over 4.4 million confirmed CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus cases around the country, according to government data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The debate over more economic stimulus and reopening schools in the fall has intensified as some economic stimulus benefits are set to expire.

After an initial comprehensive stimulus package put up by Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) failed to gain enough support among Republicans colleagues and Democrats, the White House and Republicans proposed to pass a short-term extension of a reduced version of current enhanced unemployment benefits which are set to expire on July 31.

Currently, enhanced unemployment benefits are at $600 per week. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) asked the Senate for unanimous consent to extend a reduced version—which will pay at 66 percent of lost wages or $200 per week.

But the plan was shot down by the Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Meanwhile, the plan to reopen schools in the fall, backed by the Trump administration, is gaining more support from pediatricians and educators.

The White House’s plan is supported by The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Education Association (NEA), and The School Superintendents Association (AASA).

“Educators and pediatricians share the goal of children returning safely to school this fall,” the institute said in a statement. “We recognize that children learn best when physically present in the classroom…They also learn social and emotional skills at school, get healthy meals and exercise, mental health support and other services that cannot be easily replicated online.”

Researchers in the area of philosophy and medicine are also concerned about the negative impact of staying at home on the children.

“It is inexcusable to open nonessential services for adults this summer if it forces students to remain at home even part-time this fall,” they wrote in an article published at The New England Journal of Medicine.