The Corona crisis continues to weigh heavily on the United States. There is already a high level of unemployment - and the government is probably not providing enough ventilators.
- The United States is suffering from the current Corona crisis * and a high number of infected people *
- The economy and healthcare are particularly badly affected
- President Trump continues to rely on a drug solution
Update of April 7, 2020, 7:00 am: According to US President Donald Trump , the fight against the corona virus is going into a "decisive and difficult phase" in the United States this week. "We're going to have a hard week, maybe we'll have a little more than a hard week," Trump said on Monday night (local time) at a press conference at the White House. "But there is tremendous light at the end of this tunnel." He highlighted the states of New York and New Jersey - the situation there is particularly tense. "We'll hit this virus, we'll hit it together," Trump said.
Corona in the United States: Republican Protest - Wisconsin Primaries Held
Update of April 7, 2020, 6:40 am: Despite the corona crisis , the area code in the US state of Wisconsin is supposed to run this Tuesday. The state's highest court overturned the ordered shift by Governor Tony Evers, Wisconsin Democratic Party leader Ben Wikler wrote on Monday night (local time) on Twitter.
The Supreme Court's ruling , which was widely reported in the US media , came just a few hours after Evers ordered the last minute postponement of the area code by two months out of concern for human safety . Republican representatives in Wisconsin had taken legal action against the decision and accused Evers of an "unconstitutional maneuver" . It had exceeded the governor's powers to "cancel" an election, they had argued.
Corona in the USA: 10,000 deaths exceeded - Wisconsin primaries postponed
Update of April 6, 2020, 10.15 p.m .: The number of coronavirus deaths in the USA has exceeded the symbolically significant threshold of 10,000 - and the government is preparing the population for a devastating week. According to Johns Hopkins University on Monday , approximately 10,400 people have died in the United States as a result of Covid-19. Meanwhile, the Wisconsin governor last minute postponed Tuesday's presidential primary in the state.
The United States is by far the number one worldwide in the number of confirmed infections. Around 347,000 infections have been confirmed in the United States so far, according to Johns Hopkins University, which evaluates data on coronavirus cases worldwide. However, this is also due to the fact that extensive testing is now being carried out in the USA.
However, according to the unanimous opinion of the experts, the worst is yet to come. Healthcare supervisor Jerome Adams warned the country was facing the “hardest and saddest week” that most US citizens have experienced in their lives.
"This will be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment," said Adams on Fox News. He compared the pandemic with the Japanese surprise attack on the US base at Pearl Harbor in the Second World War and with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The pandemic has also upset the presidential primaries in the important election year 2020. Wisconsin's governor, Tony Evers, last Monday canceled last minute's area code calls for the following day.
Corona virus in the USA: New York hopes for light at the end of the tunnel
Update of April 6, 2020, 7:05 p.m .: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo sees light at the end of the tunnel for the particularly severely hit state by the coronavirus. Although the number of people who died in the pandemic in New York rose by 599 compared to the previous day to 4,758, this was within the range of the previous days, Cuomo said at his daily press conference on Monday. In addition, the number of newly admitted to hospitals has dropped significantly, as has the number of intubated patients. The number of those who tested positive for Covid-19 is now more than 130,000.
However, Cuomo warned the New Yorkers against becoming negligent and underestimating the virus. "It's not the time to play Frisbee with your friend in the park." The closure of all non-"vital" shops and schools had Cuomo extended until the end of April. He emphasized that the health system was "at its capacity limit", and that it would remain so in the coming days. It could also be that the numbers will rise again . Above all, the situation is a heavy burden for medical personnel who are under intense pressure.
Corona crisis in the US: Trump gives sensitive advice - alarming unemployment figures
April 6, 2020 overview: Washington - The economic consequences of the corona pandemic are already clearly visible in the United States . The number of unemployed is increasing rapidly. Within a week, over 6.6 million people registered as unemployed. In the state of New York alone, the Department of Labor received around 8.2 million calls between March 23 and 28 - the systems in many places were completely overloaded.
A website from the New York Department of Labor, where you can register as unemployed, experienced a similar rush. In the same period, it was viewed 3.4 million times - a 900 percent increase compared to the average number of views.
USA: Economy is in a state of emergency
"The states are getting real problems right now," said economist Heidi Shierholz NBC News. The systems are in an "incredible stress test".
But above all the labor law in force in the USA is a problem for US citizens in this crisis. Where occupational health and safety laws * apply in other parts of the world, Americans can expect quick and unprotected dismissals . Former U.S. Department of Labor economist William Rodgers reported to the Guardian newspaper an estimated 17 percent current unemployment rate in the United States. In February this was still 3.5 percent. The New York Times currently anticipates an unemployment rate of 13 percent. "We are completely at the mercy of the virus," Rodgers told the Guardian .
USA: A high unemployment rate is the result of the corona crisis
But the stress test for the economy * is not the only challenge for the country. Healthcare is also under pressure. In particular, the clinics * lack ventilation equipment . However, the government around President Trump has so far not wanted to release the emergency reserves - despite increasing requests from the states.
Instead, Donald Trump continues to rely on a drug that he has highlighted several times * . While this drug is under discussion, it is still not approved for the fight against Covid-19 . At a press conference on Saturday, April 4, he said again: “Take it. I would say just take it. ”The drug is a combination of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin . "What do you have to lose?" Asks the President.
USA: Trump continues to rely on a drug - this has not yet been sufficiently tested
Even Anthony Fauci, an important virologist for President Trump, is currently advising against the drug. There are still too few tests, side effects and effectiveness have not been adequately tested.
Meanwhile, there was another sensational case in the US: On Sunday (April 5), the New York Bronx Zoo announced that the Malaysian tiger cat Nadia had tested positive for the virus. The tiger Nadia, her sister Azul and three other African lions developed a "dry cough," reports the CNN news channel. It is believed that a carer with no symptoms may have infected the animals. The zoo had been closed for three weeks anyway.
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