Number of New Coronavirus Cases in US Plummets
The number of new coronavirus cases in the United States has dipped to a level not seen since March.
According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, 18,621 new confirmed cases were confirmed Monday.
The last time the daily total of new cases was this low was March 27, when 17,821 were recorded.
The number of new cases was also significantly down from the peak recorded April 24, when there were 36,188 new confirmed cases.
Data on Worldometers showed 750 U.S. coronavirus deaths on Sunday, a massive drop from the high of 2,683 that it recorded on April 21.
President Donald Trump mentioned such statistics Tuesday as he tweeted his support for moving the country toward a reopening.
“Our Testing is the BEST in the World, by FAR! Numbers are coming down in most parts of our Country, which wants to open and get going again. It is happening, safely!” Trump tweeted.
Our Testing is the BEST in the World, by FAR! Numbers are coming down in most parts of our Country, which wants to open and get going again. It is happening, safely!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2020
During a media briefing Monday, the president touted the nation’s ability to test Americans for the virus.
“Every American should be proud of the amazing array of talent, skill and enterprise our nation has brought to this challenge,” Trump said. “In three months, the FDA has authorized more than 92 different tests, and over 9 million have been performed here in the United States.
“Three weeks ago, we were conducting roughly 150,000 tests per day. Now we’re doing approximately 300,000 tests per day — a 100 percent increase — and it will go up substantially from that number.
“This week, the United States will pass 10 million tests conducted — nearly double the number of any other country. We’re testing more people per capita than South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Sweden, Finland and many other countries — and, in some cases, combined.”
He said American citizens have risen to the challenge the virus represents.
“In every generation, through every challenge and hardship and danger, America has risen to the task,” the president said. “We have met the moment, and we have prevailed. Americans do whatever it takes to find solutions, pioneer breakthroughs and harness the energies we need to achieve a total victory.
“Day after day, we’re making tremendous strides. With the dedication of our doctors and nurses — these are incredible people, these are brave people, these are warriors — with the devotion of our manufacturing workers, food suppliers and lab technicians, and with the profound patriotism of the American people, we will defeat this horrible enemy, we will revive our economy, and we will transition into greatness.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified remotely Tuesday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and offered a different take on the nation’s recovery.
“There is no doubt, even under the best of circumstances, when you pull back on mitigation you will see some cases appear,” Fauci said, according to The Associated Press.
If the nation reopens without following guidelines, he said, “my concern is we will start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks. The consequences could be really serious.”
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