Almost a third of all U.S. coronavirus cases are New York City. When combined, New York State and New Jersey account for more than half of all cases in the U.S.
The growth in cases is not limited to the New York metropolitan area as other states have seen surges, including Louisiana, with the majority in New Orleans. The state has made drive through testing available, and greater testing may account for some of the grow in cases. After recording 20 deaths due to COVID-19 in Louisiana, their governor has followed in the footsteps of other states with high levels of infection and initiated a state-wide lockdown to help reduce transmission of the virus and flatten the curve.
Globally, there are a reported 352,000 cases, up 12 percent, and the U.S. has passed Spain. We now rank third in number of cases confirmed, behind only Italy and China.
Even if U.S. lockdowns and social distancing start to have a noticeable impact on new cases, deaths will continue to soar for some time as they lag reported cases. It is yet to be seen if treatment with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin will reduce deaths as many hope.
The Cost of Non-Compliance
As the numbers of infection grow, there are a rising number of complaints about people who ignore the requests to stay at home and practice social distancing. This was initially directed towards the younger generation who were enjoying spring break but has grown to include people across all demographics. Too many people think they are special and that that the rules don’t apply to them and they are contributing to the spread of COVID-19. California has had to close down some golf courses, beaches and hiking trails because people have refused to practice social distancing.
Until a successful cure or other treatment is found or a vaccine is developed, the only way to stomp out this virus is to stop giving it hosts. That means eliminating transmission via casual contact.
