The COVID-19 infection rate in several different US states is rising, indicating that the rest of the US is moving in the wrong direction in comparison to New York, which has made significant progress against the virus. Despite these statistics, states are beginning to lift their lockdowns. On average, new infections per day in the US exceeded 20,000 while deaths per day are over 1,000, according to data published by Johns Hopkins University. Despite warnings from health officials that failure to flatten the curve could lead to tens of thousands of deaths, non-essential businesses are reopening across the country.
New York has been the hardest-hit US state over the past several weeks as the New York metropolitan area consists of 20 million residents across a region encompassing Long Island and northern New Jersey. This area accounts for one-third of the US COVID-19 deaths, roughly 70,000. Although the official number of dead worldwide has surpassed 250,000, Johns Hopkins estimates that the true toll is much higher.
Read More: US infection rate rising outside New York as states open up
