Coronavirus Epicenter Shifts Toward Midwest States Like Ohio
On Wednesday, the U.S. recorded 1,420 new deaths due to COVID-19, the most since May — representing nearly one death for every minute of the day. As of Friday morning, the United States has recorded more than 4.5 million cases of the virus, and at least 152, 431 people have died, according to The New York Times’ database.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, confirmed Wednesday that the cases of the virus in the Midwest states are on the rise.
“What we’re focusing on now is that there are a bunch of other states — for example Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana — which are starting to show that very subtle increase in percent positives among the total tested [for coronavirus],” he said in an interview with ABC News. “Which is a surefire hint that you may be getting into the same sort of trouble with those states that the Southern states got into trouble with.”
"Before you know it, two to three weeks down the pike, you're in trouble," he told MSNBC.
Fauci urged the governors of those states to “get ahead of the curve” and step up their public health precautions before their infections get out of hand. He advised universal mask requirements, closing bars and encouraging social distancing and hand washing.
“If we do that, hopefully we’ll prevent multiple other states from becoming just like the Southern states,” Fauci said to ABC News.
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