US coronavirus deaths surpass 250,000 as New York closes schools

The United States has surpassed yet another grime milestone in the coronavirus fatalities, with more than 250,000 deaths, at the beginning of a cold winter, which is expected to bring new COVID-19 challenges for the nation.

The number of people, who lost their lives to the virus, reached 250,537 on Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The number of people hospitalized with the infection also rose to at least 78,630 by Wednesday afternoon, the highest ever for a single day during the pandemic.

The United States has reported a total of about 11.527,483 cases since the start of the pandemic and remains the only country to have reported more than 10 million cases.

The country accounts for one in every 26 infections reported worldwide, according to a Reuters tally.

Health experts warn this could even get worse during the cold season.

“Unfortunately, we are entering what I think will be the worst stretch that we have experienced so far," said  Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

"We're seeing hot spots all across the United States and new highs for the number of cases and hospitalizations,” Rivers added.

US adds 184,000 coronavirus cases in one day, with no end in sight

The US added more than 184,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday, the fourth day in a row that the country has set a record for daily infections.

The resurgence has prompted governors and local officials to impose restrictive measures in recent days as in Cleveland, Ohio, they asked residents to stay home, wear face mask.

In New York City, entire public school system will shut on Thursday.

The city, which was a global epicenter of the pandemic in March and April, has now registered a 3 percent test positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average.

“Today is a tough day, but this is a temporary situation,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday.

He said that “our schools will be back,” but added that reopening might not take place until next month or later.

Schools in New York City, with 1.1 million students and 1,800 schools, have been open for in-person instruction for just under eight weeks.

Further restriction will also be announced soon, according to de Blasio.

New York with over 33,000 coronavirus related deaths, remains the state with the highest overall number of fatalities since the pandemic began.

Currently, the Midwest is the hardest-hit region, based on the number of cases per capita.

California businesses hit with new virus restrictions

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North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska are the top five worst-affected states across the county.

Despite the surge in the virus outbreak, social distancing, mask-wearing and other measures are followed unevenly in some parts of the country.

President-elect Joe Biden has called on people to wear masks and socially distance until a vaccine become widely available.

Two trial vaccines have recently performed well in tests.

Drug makers Pfizer said on Wednesday it planned to apply for emergency approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its coronavirus vaccine “within days.”

Moderna Inc also announced earlier this week that its vaccine was more than 94% effective at preventing the coronavirus, according to preliminary trial data.

To distribute those vaccines, however, the US is facing major challenge. One of the biggest hurdles, according to experts, is gaining public trust, including among healthcare workers who will be asked to take the vaccine first.

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