With more than 2,108 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours and 18,586 deaths in total, the United States is close to becoming the most bereaved country in the world. The largest number of deaths (18,849) has so far been recorded in Italy. More than 500,000 cases of Covid-19 have also been diagnosed in the United States, a world record, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University on the evening of Friday, April 10.
Like all countries, the United States must be careful not to lift containment measures too early, otherwise the epidemic will spike again, or too late, which could add to the economic cost which already looks very painful.
Choosing the right time to reopen the U.S. economy will be "by far the biggest decision of my life," said U.S. President Donald Trump. Acknowledging that setting a date too close could have disastrous consequences, he also insisted on the danger that he believed could run a date too late. "Staying at home also leads to death (...) Perhaps a different form of death," he said.
Gradual "deconfinement"
Researcher Anthony Fauci, central member of the crisis unit who advises Donald Trump on the epidemic, has repeatedly stressed that "deconfinement" would not happen suddenly but would be gradual and different depending on the region.
The epicenter of the American epidemic is in New York, the state alone deplores more than 7,800 deaths and more than 160,000 positive cases. In New York, the most affected city in the country, a tribute was paid to hospital staff who died of the virus. About fifteen names were shelled in the cold by as many of their colleagues, who placed their photos on the sidewalk, in front of one of the hospitals.
"More than 2.1 million tests have been performed" in the country, said US Vice President Mike Pence Friday at the White House Crisis Cell daily press conference.
Forecast downgraded
President Donald Trump regularly reiterates that this is the largest number of tests done by a country, which he says explains the number of cases identified much higher in the United States than elsewhere. According to ourworldindata.com, this is indeed the case in absolute terms, but in proportion to their population, Italy and South Korea have performed more tests than the Americans.
Predictions of the number of deaths in the United States according to the most cited model (IHME), which takes into account how the epidemic has evolved in China and Europe, have in recent days been revised several times downwards to the first wave: from 93,000 to 82,000, then to 60,000 deaths.
With AFP
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