United States Records More Than 1,000 Coronavirus Deaths Over Four Days In A Row As Experts Urge Country To Close

California beats New York with more cases of coronavirus in the United States 3:42

(CNN) - As more covid-19 records are broken, debates about whether to send children to school or shut the economy down again are coming to a head.

More than 1,000 people died each day for four consecutive days last week from covid-19. That brings the total number of deaths in the United States from the virus to more than 146,000 as of Sunday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

And researchers project up to 175,000 virus-related deaths before August 15, according to a joint forecast published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

With hospitals overwhelmed and lengthy delays in testing, some local leaders, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said a second confinement order may be possible.

Those kinds of drastic measures are backed by more than 150 leading medical experts, scientists, teachers, nurses and other specialists who signed a letter urging leaders to close the country and start again to contain the rampant spread of the virus.

LEE : Medical experts urge the United States to close and start again as coronavirus cases exceed 4 million in the country

“Right now, we are on the path to losing more than 200,000 American lives by November 1. However, in many states people can drink in bars, cut their hair, eat inside a restaurant, get a tattoo, get a massage and thousands of other normal, enjoyable, but not essential activities, "says the letter, which was sent to the Trump administration, members of Congress and state governors.

In the past two days, these states broke records:

As the number of cases and deaths in the country increases, at least four states reported record numbers since Friday.

California , which leads the nation with the most reported coronavirus cases, reported 159 virus-related deaths on Friday, the highest number recorded in a single day since the start of the pandemic. More than half of all virus-related deaths in the state come from Los Angeles County, where more than 4,260 deaths have been reported. The state has had more than 446,450 reported infections, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Georgia also broke a new record in a single day on Friday, reporting at least 4,813 new cases of coronavirus. Health officials reported 3,787 new cases on Saturday. According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 165,180 people tested positive in the state.

Oregon reported nine new coronavirus-related deaths on Friday, breaking its record for the most deaths reported in a single day since the pandemic began. State health officials reported 396 new cases, bringing the state total to more than 16,100.

For the second consecutive day, Hawaii reported a record number of new cases, identifying 60 new positive tests on Friday, according to health officials. On Thursday, Hawaii reported 55 new cases. The state has had at least 1,620 reported infections, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Florida's youngest victim was a 9-year-old girl

In Florida, a state that has broken its record for new cases multiple times in the past few weeks, hospitalizations for covid-19 have increased nearly 80% since July 4, according to data from the state Health Care Administration Agency .

Statewide, at least 50 hospitals do not have beds available in the ICU.

Last week, a 9-year-old girl with no pre-existing conditions became the state's youngest coronavirus victim. Kimora "Kimmie" Lynum was taken to a local hospital to treat a "very high" fever, her family said.

Kimmie's cousin and family spokesman Dejeon Cain said the hospital told the family to return home. After doing so, the young woman complained of not feeling well and collapsed, Cain said. She did not have a detectable heartbeat.

Her family said they don't know how Kimmie contracted the virus, since she looked healthy and had spent the summer at home.

Texas hospital could send patients home to die

In Texas, which broke a record for virus-related deaths last week, doctors inside a hospital may decide to send patients home to "die with loved ones" due to limited resources, authorities said.

Starr County officials announced they are creating commissions to review patient cases at Starr County Memorial Hospital, where at least 50% of patients admitted to the hospital emergency room have tested positive for coronavirus.

"Unfortunately, Starr County Memorial Hospital has limited resources and our physicians will have to decide who receives treatment and who is sent home to die with loved ones," Starr County Judge Eloy Vera wrote Thursday, in a Facebook post. "This is what we did not want our community to experience."

Earlier this month, the governor issued a state-wide mask-wearing mandate and urged residents to heed precautions so that businesses and the economy remain open.

As the state grapples with the coronavirus, Governor Greg Abbott also had to issue a disaster declaration for 32 counties after Hurricane Hanna made landfall on Saturday night.

CDC in favor of reopening schools

Many teachers and education workers in the United States have strongly opposed returning to the classroom next month, as the virus spreads uncontrollably in American communities.

But some parents, including some in a Georgia county where coronavirus numbers are among the highest in the state, are demanding the reopening of schools.

President Donald Trump has said he is pressuring governors to reopen schools in an effort to get the United States back to business as usual.

LOOK : CDC recommends reopening schools, but closing them in out-of-control places

In new guidelines released last week on childcare and education, the CDC strongly encouraged the reopening of schools, saying that children do not suffer much from the coronavirus and are less likely to spread it.

But research in South Korea found that older children (between the ages of 10 and 19) can transmit the coronavirus within a home as much as adults.

CDC guidelines recommend that local officials consider closing schools, or keeping them closed, if there is substantial and uncontrolled spread of the virus.

"It is vitally important to our public health to open schools this fall," said CDC Principal Dr. Robert Redfield.

“The closing of schools has altered the normal ways of life of children and parents and have had negative consequences for the health of our young people. CDC is prepared to work with secondary schools to reopen safely and protect the most vulnerable. ”

CNN's Andy Rose, Nicole Chavez, Kay Jones, Alta Spells, Sarah Moon, Rosa Flores, Denise Royal, Natasha Chen, and Chandler Thornton contributed to this report.