America Has Forgotten the Coronavirus, But the Coronavirus Hasn't Forgotten America
In March and April, it felt like every conversation I had, and every article I read, was about the pandemic. Now, I often have to remind people that it’s not over.
How have we forgotten, when roughly 1,000 Americans are still dying each day from COVID-19? Racial-justice protests sweeping and captivating the nation have taken over the front pages, while loosening coronavirus containment measures across the country have lulled some into a false sense of security. It’s also simply human nature for the shock to wear off, eventually.
But people are still dying, even if we’ve largely stopped paying attention. In fact, a new analysis from TIME editor-at-large Jeffrey Kluger and director of data journalism Chris Wilson shows that, in many states, outbreaks are actually getting worse, not better. Case counts are increasing in 25 states, they found. Texas is seeing about 1,000 new diagnoses per day; Arizona recorded 7,700 cases in the first week of June alone; Florida and South Carolina recorded their highest single-day numbers of new COVID-19 cases yesterday; and Oregon put reopening plans on pause due to a new spike in cases.
In many ways, it’s a role reversal from the early months of the outbreak, when the Northeast was getting clobbered while many states elsewhere weathered comparably mild outbreaks. Now, hard-hit areas like New Jersey and New York are seeing huge improvements after months of strict lockdowns, while places that once seemed to be spared from the worst of the pandemic are experiencing worryingly high rates of infection.
The difference today? People are no longer captivated by coronavirus—at least not in the way they were in March, when “flatten the curve” became something of a national mantra. As summer begins, the beach and parks beckon and our commitment to containment measures wanes, it’s vital to remember that this fight is far from over.
"Are we resigned to losing a thousand Americans a day until we have a vaccine?” Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of John Hopkins’ Center for Health Security, asks in Kluger and Wilson’s story. “I hope we aren't."
More than 7.5 million people around the world had been sickened by COVID-19 as of 11 PM eastern time last night, and more than 421,000 people had died.
Here is every country with over 100,000 confirmed cases:
The European Commission wants to buy doses of a forthcoming COVID-19 vaccine in advance, Reuters reports, to ensure the continent has access to enough shots when they become available. The deal would likely be appealing to vaccine makers, since it would guarantee them revenue in advance, but less so to global health advocates. Melinda Gates told TIME just last week that global leaders must not let the vaccine “go to the highest bidder,” and instead should strive for equitable access around the world.
Even as countries across the globe begin to lift lockdowns, many are still in the throes of COVID-19 outbreaks. Pakistan, a country with just six hospital beds per 10,000 people, is struggling to keep up as infections surge. "There has not been a single day in the last week where we had a single bed available," a surgeon in the northern district of Peshawar told Al Jazeera.
Three airlines are suing the British government over a policy requiring that all travelers arriving in the U.K. quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair claim the policy will further devastate the travel industry, and argue that only passengers from “high-risk” countries should have to self-isolate.
The southern Italian town of Cinquefrondi is trying to attract new residents by selling houses for roughly $1, CNN reports. The town, which calls itself a “COVID-free village,” has not reported a single case of coronavirus among its roughly 6,500 residents.
The Situation in the U.S.
More than 2 million people in the U.S. had been infected with COVID-19 as of 11 PM eastern time yesterday, and nearly 114,000 had died.
On June 11, there were 22,883 new cases and 896 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Half a million people passed through airport security checkpoints yesterday, the Transportation Security Administration said, the highest level since March 21. It’s a sign that travel is slowly resuming in the U.S., but the industry is still hurting. More than 2.6 million people passed through checkpoints a year ago yesterday, the TSA said.
President Donald Trump has found a new place to deliver his Republian National Convention speech after North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper refused to let him host a rally without social-distancing precautions in Charlotte. Trump’s speech will now take place in August in a Jacksonville, Fla., arena that can hold 15,000 people, despite the risks of indoor gatherings during the pandemic.
The NBA is set to restart its season in Orlando, Fla., in July. But even with rules meant to limit the risk of coronavirus—including forbidding visitors and requiring players to remain inside a contained area—up to 50 players have been holding conference calls to discuss their concerns about restarting the season, ESPN reports.
That’s perhaps in part because, despite the high-profile events it plans to host, Florida is still weathering a coronavirus outbreak. Cases are up statewide, but spikes seem particularly bad in immigrant communities, where many residents are considered essential workers and access to testing and health care is sparse.
And in Georgia, a state that began reopening relatively early on, Governor Brian Kemp announced that, as of June 16, restaurants no longer have to limit the number of parties inside, and servers no longer have to wear face masks when they are not interacting with customers. Kemp also relaxed capacity restrictions for movie theaters, and said people can gather in groups of up to 50.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of June 11, 11 PM eastern time. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
A Month in a New York City Hospital
TIME correspondent Simon Shuster spent a month reporting from Brooklyn’s Wyckoff Heights Medical Center as it fought to keep up with the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what he saw. Read more here.
Meet the ‘Superforecasters’ Predicting the Future of COVID-19
Epidemiologists and virologists have company as they scramble to understand the COVID-19 pandemic and its trajectory: a group of “superforecasters” who are trying to predict the future along with them. Read more here.
Will COVID-19 Help Jacinda Ardern Get Re-Elected?
New Zealand’s Prime Minister deftly handled the COVID-19 crisis; her country is effectively coronavirus-free as of June 8. Will that be enough to get her re-elected? Read more here.
The Crisis That May Follow COVID-19
Psychologist and author Lauren Slater writes that distance—our best protection against COVID-19—may usher in a new kind of crisis. Read more here.
The Best Global Responses to COVID-19
Countries around the world took vastly different approaches to containing COVID-19, with a wide range of results. These nations had the best strategies, according to TIME foreign affairs columnist Ian Bremmer. Read more here.
The Federal Government Is Still Failing Nursing Homes
U.S. officials promised to help nursing homes secure personal protective equipment and access to testing, after several deadly coronavirus outbreaks were reported in long-term care facilities. But as Kaiser Health News reports, many facilities still aren’t getting what they need. Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Jamie Ducharme and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
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