Just last week the United States surpassed 10 million cases of coronavirus, and the rate at which the virus is spreading has not slowed. As of November 16th the U.S. now tallies 11.2 million cases of COVID-19 with 69,864 hospitalizations per the Covid Tracking Project, exceeding the peak of 59,940 in the spring.
Averaging almost 150,000 new cases per day (via CNN Health), U.S. officials are exploring measures to slow the rate of infection. Last week New York imposed a 10pm curfew, while Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine have banned social gatherings between people of different households in collective areas. Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon has taken to a “social freeze” limiting all social gatherings, indoor dining and even limiting the amount of people to assemble for faith-based activities.
As cases increase, states are working each day to tailor preventive measures to their population’s needs, with updates coming by the hour. One measure that has remained consistent is wearing a mask while in public or around individuals not in your household. Robert Redfield, head of the CDC, says face masks are one of the most viable options in slowing and stopping the spread of COVID-19.
While some states have yet to implement a mask mandate, wearing a mask is one of the easiest ways to slow the rate of infection, so regardless of your state’s law it is in your best interest to wear one.
In better news, two vaccine trials are in the works from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, but that does not guarantee a return to normal any time soon says CEO Ugur Sahin.
With so many updates regarding COVID-19 in the United States it can be hard to catch up, so just do your best to read an update in the morning or evening each day.