The latest figures by Johns Hopkins University (JHU) indicate that more than 19.1 million COVID-19 cases have been documented in the US since the onset of the pandemic. As of Monday, over 150,000 new cases were recorded nationwide, as the viral outbreak continues to spread in the hard-hit US state of California.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the US’ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stated during a Monday interview that surging COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths were largely due to the US’ “federalist approach” to handling the respiratory illness.
“The fundamental tenet of our government is the federalist approach, where you have the United States of America, which is 50 states and essential government,” Fauci said. “But the states are very often given a considerable amount of leeway in doing things the way they want to do it, as opposed to in response to federal mandates, which are relatively rarely given.”
However, Fauci acknowledged that while the “federalist approach” works “for certain things,” it’s not exactly ideal when you’re trying to get a handle on a pandemic. The health official underscored that a virus “doesn’t know the difference between the border of New York and New Jersey, or Florida and Georgia, or Texas and Oklahoma.”
Although US President Donald Trump did release a set of guidelines for states to follow, the commander-in-chief left the burden on states to decide how to deal with the pandemic’s effects while he promised to provide needed supplies.
Fauci further stated that political polarization was also to blame for the varying COVID-19 countermeasures by US states. Early on in the pandemic, both masking and social distancing guidelines were turned into a political showdown, with many Americans arguing that their rights were being attacked.
With a positivity ratio of just over 10%, the US remains the country with the highest COVID-19 case tally. At present, the US states being impacted the hardest in terms of new cases are California and Tennessee, both now considered epicenters for the disease.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to extend stay-at-home orders on Monday for his state’s southern regions, where health professionals and hospitals are struggling to meet surging COVID-19 demands. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee recently announced new restrictions to curb the disease’s spread that included 10-person limits for indoor, public events.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
