US records over 60,000 coronavirus cases for fifth consecutive day

Reuters

August 02, 2020

An employee takes the temperature of passengers before they board the London Eye wheel on the first day of its reopening since the easing of lockdown amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London, Britain, August 1, 2020. REUTERS

WASHINGTON: The United States detected over 60,000 COVID-19 cases for the fifth consecutive day as the World Health Organisation warned that the pandemic would be lengthy and could lead to "response fatigue".

The US counted 61,262 new coronavirus cases in the 24 hours leading up to 8:30 pm Saturday (0030 GMT Sunday), according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

There were also 1,051 deaths in the 24-hour period.

The US has now tallied more than 4.6 million cases and 154,319 deaths, making it the hardest-hit country in the world.

The new numbers came as Florida braced for the arrival of Tropical Storm Isaias, which is expected to strengthen back into a hurricane as it approached the southeastern part of the virus-ravaged state.

Among US states, only California, with almost double Florida´s population of about 21 million people, has registered more coronavirus cases.

On Saturday, Florida reported another 179 deaths, setting a new state record and pushing its virus death toll to 6,843.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said it´s better to "just hunker down rather than sending people to the road" -- with shelters usually crowded and social distancing difficult -- unless the situation became more threatening.