Courtesy of ZeroHedge View original post here.
Summary:
- US single-day tally tops 60k again
- Global total tops 12 million
- 7-day average death rate creeps higher
- Tokyo, Hong Kong report single-day highs of new cases
- India reported 22.7k new cases
- Victoria reports another 165 new cases
- Beijing slams US over WHO pullout
* * *
Wednesday was another brutal day for the US during the global coronavirus outbreak as all of the worst hit states in the sunbelt produced new single-day records ranging from the highest 7-day positivity rate (Florida) to new records for deaths (Texas), single-day cases (California) and hospitalizations (Arizona, Florida, Texas etc).
After the US reported more than 60k new cases on Tuesday for the first time, the country repeated that feat on Wednesday, essentially tying its record number from the prior day.
Our daily update is published. New records for cases, and a top-5 day for tests. Patients currently hospitalized jumped to over 43,000, about the levels of mid-May.
States reported more than 800 new deaths. The 7-day average is creeping back up. pic.twitter.com/b2IvB4RH7r
— The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) July 8, 2020
But as the COVID tracking project points out, the 7-day average for deaths is "creeping back up" after two days of deaths near 1,000 (on Monday, the US reported fewer than 500 deaths for the entire country).
FUNDSTRAT: “If I had to flag a new ‘source of worry,’ it is that daily deaths in the US have risen in the past 2 days, with deaths of +905 (1D ago) and +819 (today). This is above .. the 550-600 daily deaths seen last week. So we need to keep an eye on this.” @fundstrat pic.twitter.com/036vCSDZoW
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) July 9, 2020
As deaths continue falling in New England, the sun belt has more than compensated for it.
There’s been a lot of discussions about deaths continuing to trend down as cases have surged. This chart provides a partial answer to what’s been happening. The falling numbers in the NE were offsetting rising deaths in AZ, TX, FL. pic.twitter.com/hmZkhZXTPS
— The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) July 8, 2020
As we noted, the US also topped 3 million cases yesterday.
We reached 3 million cumulative cases today, less than a month after reaching 2 million. pic.twitter.com/tNw81l9rDZ
— The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) July 8, 2020
So far on Thursday, the bad news out of the US has apparently carried over to Asia, as Hong Kong and Tokyo both reported new single-day records of new cases, as new outbreaks in both territories have come roaring back in recent weeks. Both areas are closely watched bellwethers of the outbreak in East Asia.
Tokyo confirmed 224 new infections on Thursday, its largest single-day tally yet. While Tokyo has focused its virus suppression efforts on nightlife districts, more mundane places like diners and – of course – nursing homes have seen several outbreaks.
The city’s mayor has said there are no plans to reinstate the state of emergency that was lifted in Tokyo last month.
Hong Kong health officials have warned of a third wave of coronavirus infections after the city recorded 23 new cases in two days. Social distancing measures in HK were largely lifted over the past two months as the city's cases dwindled. An outbreak at a nursing home in Kowloon has contributed 8 infections to today's total – four residents and four staff tested positive, on top of one resident who tested positive yesterday.
India reported 22,752 new cases, up slightly from 22,252 yesterday, bringing India's virus total to 742,417. The death toll has jumped to 20,642, up 482.
Meanwhile, as tensions with Beijing intensify, with the White House mulling new retaliatory measures ranging from an assault on the HKD currency peg to barring the popular social media app TikTok, Beijing hurled a few rhetorical rocks Thursday morning when Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian slammed the Trump Administration's decision to withdraw was "another demonstration of the US pursuing unilateralism, withdrawing from groups and breaking contracts."
The WHO is "the most authoritative and professional international institution in the field of global public health security," Zhao said at a briefing Wednesday, adding that the US departure would hurt the developing world, the AP reports – contrasting America's WHO withdrawal with President Xi's promises of forgivable or zero-interest loans and bundles while supplying the developing world with the vaccine.
In Australia, Victoria, the worst-hit Australian state, recorded another 165 case, as an outbreak at a Melbourne high school emerged as the largest cluster in the country. Queensland state also closed its border to people fleeing a six-week lockdown in Melbourne. In addition to the lockdown, Victoria has effectively sealed its borders, while neighboring New South Wales has also shut its border with Victoria.