The coronavirus outbreak in the United States is steadily mirroring the situation the nation was in back in April when the virus devastated the then-epicenter New York. On Friday, the U.S. reported over 1,100 coronavirus-related deaths, the fourth day in a row the nation's death rate exceed 1,000, and over 68,000 new infections. It has been over three month since New York reached the peak of its outbreak, where the state saw an average of 500 coronavirus-related deaths per day. Now, California, Florida and Texas seem to be moving toward that same situation, with the three highly populous states reporting a combined daily death total over 500 on Thursday.
"What we have right now are essentially three New Yorks with three major states," White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx told NBC's "Today" show on Friday. "We have to change our behavior now before this virus completely moves back up through the north."
Meanwhile, nearly half of Americans whose household experienced a layoff during the coronavirus pandemic now think those jobs are completely lost, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs. In a follow up from a poll conducted in April, 47% of American who were laid off now think their position is gone, a large decrease from April's poll where 78% believed the layoff would only be temporary. The negative outlook on employment comes as the $600 weekly enhancement to unemployment benefits outlined in the Federal government's coronavirus stimulus package is set to expire this week, potentially putting more out-of-work Americans in financial jeopardy.
According to the poll, about half of Americans say that their household or the household of someone they know has lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic, with 27% being laid off from work, 33% having few scheduled hours, 24% taking unpaid time off, and 29% having their wages or salaries reduced.
With more states across the United States re-issuing some social restrictions in response to the ongoing outbreak, the new unemployment crisis may only worsen. The poll outlines that 72% of Americans would rather have social restrictions in place to curb the spread of the virus over removing them in an effort to help the economy. This may be a move governments need to take whether they want to or not as the virus continues its untamed spread.
Total Global Cases: Over 15.9 Million
Total Deaths: Over 641,000
Total Recovered: Over 9.7 Million
F.D.A. Recall
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recalled over 75 brands of hand sanitizer, with some sold at national chains including Walmart (NYSE: WMT) and Costco (NYSE: COST), citing that the products contain toxic levels of wood alcohol. The agency stated that there has been an increase in hand sanitizers that are missed labelled as containing ethanol, when they actually contain methanol, a wood alcohol that can cause serous injury or death.
"Unfortunately, there are some companies taking advantage of the increased usage of hand sanitizer during the coronavirus pandemic and putting lives at risk by selling products with dangerous and unacceptable ingredients. Consumers and health care providers should not use methanol-containing hand sanitizers," FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Han said in a statement, quoted by CNBC.