The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus pandemic approached 150,000, as fatalities and hospitalizations rose in parts of the country, while new cases in some areas showed signs of leveling off. The U.S. reported more than 61,000 new cases, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, a slight increase after two consecutive days of tallies below 60,000. The total number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. surpassed 4.3 million, accounting for more than a quarter of all confirmed cases world-wide, according to Johns Hopkins. Several states are facing increased coronavirus-related hospitalizations and deaths. The Florida Department of Health reported 186 new coronavirus-related deaths among residents, its highest recorded increase over a 24-hour period. State reporting on coronavirus deaths varies, and it is possible that deaths reported on a particular day may not have occurred over the previous 24 hours.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said there were early signs that coronavirus cases and hospitalizations were plateauing in his state, two weeks after the state implemented new restrictions. Mr. Edwards said Louisiana has the highest number of confirmed cases per capita of any state.
New analyses from a coalition of public-health experts and crisis-response specialists show the overwhelming majority of states don’t meet criteria from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for lifting coronavirus-related restrictions.
The group’s online dashboard, covidexitstrategy.org, tracks state-level data on the spread of the disease, using the CDC’s reopening criteria. The dashboard, as of Tuesday, listed only four states as trending well in controlling the spread of the virus: Connecticut, Maine, New York and Vermont. Uncontrolled spread was seen in 23 states.
Cases continued to rise sharply in some other countries.
Total cases in India surpassed 1.5 million as the country reported 48,513 new infections. Fatalities rose by 768, taking the total death toll to 34,193, according to data from the federal Health Ministry. The Indian government is expected to review the current lockdown this week and develop a plan to ease restrictions from next month.
Japan on Wednesday hit a new daily record. Public broadcaster NHK said at least 1,002 new cases were recorded, and the city of Osaka topped 200 daily cases for the first time. The daily tally in Tokyo has been more than 100 for the past three weeks. The capital preliminarily reported 250 cases Wednesday. Infections, initially largely associated with nighttime entertainment districts, are now spreading among household members, a Tokyo government official said. “Infections are spreading across the country,” a Japan Medical Association representative said Wednesday. “Whether this will be contained or spread further depends on the behavior of every person,” he said.
Vietnam, one of the most successful countries in containing the coronavirus, is now at risk of a wider infection, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said. State media reported him as saying every province and city could see coronavirus cases after new infections were reported in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the Central Highlands region. All were linked to a recent outbreak in the city of Da Nang. Vigorous quarantining and contact tracing so far has kept the number of cases in the country to 446.
China reported 101 new cases, health authorities said, as the country continued to battle a resurgence of the virus in some places. The far-western region of Xinjiang reported 89 new cases, its most since the pandemic began. Northeastern Liaoning province reported eight cases, all in the city of Dalian, and has suspended some public services. In Beijing, which recently fought back an outbreak linked to a wholesale food market, one new case prompted a tightening of restrictions in one community.
Total cases in Hong Kong surpassed 3,000 Wednesday. The city, which is struggling to contain a wave of infections, reported 118 new cases, the eighth day in a row in which daily cases topped 100. Two more fatalities were added to the death toll, raising the total to 24. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the city is now on the cusp of a wider coronavirus outbreak and encouraged people to stay indoors Wednesday as new regulations banning gatherings of more than two people took effect. Sit-in restaurants have been closed and wearing face masks in public is now mandatory, including outside.
Dutch authorities Wednesday said the total number of coronavirus-related deaths might be double the figures counted so far. The country’s Central Statistics Office has developed a new counting method that takes into account excess mortality and estimated that the real number of Covid-19 casualties from March 9 to May 24 range between 8,593 and 11,691. The official statistics
— South Korea reported 48 additional cases, maintaining an uptick in new infections. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday the additional figures took the country’s total to 14,251 with 300 deaths. Fourteen of the new patients were locally infected while the rest 34 came from overseas. South Korea has been reporting roughly 20-60 new cases every day since it eased its strict social distancing rules in early May.
— Australia’s hard-hit Victoria state recorded its lowest daily tally of COVID-19 cases in nine days while the state premier expressed hope it was the start of a downward trend. Victoria reported 295 new cases and nine deaths, seven of which were in aged care homes that are bearing the brunt of the pandemic. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said “trends are not made in one day” but that he hoped the decline continued. The outbreak has been concentrated in Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, which is halfway through a six-week lockdown.
— New Zealand’s government says it will rush through new laws to allow some people to be charged for their border quarantine costs. New Zealand hasn’t had any community transmission of the virus for three months, and everybody who enters the country is required to spend two weeks isolated at a hotel. The cost to taxpayers has already amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. Under the new law, adults who leave or enter the country for short holidays or business trips will be required to pay about $2,100 toward their quarantine costs. But there will be many exceptions to the new fees, and officials acknowledge it will affect less than 10% of travelers.