More than 20,000 Americans died of the virus • Trump: "There are beds in hospitals" • Health care criticism: "Introducing the restrictions could save lives"
The US recorded another bleak milestone in the Corona epidemic yesterday when the number of dead there first overtook Italy with more than 20,000 Americans dying from the disease. At the same time, President Trump approved Wisconsin's state of emergency, the last remaining state of routine.
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This created a historic situation in which all 50 US states, along with all US-controlled non-territorial territories, are now in an emergency.
The federal government's state of emergency declaration allows local authorities in the states access to federal resources to fight the spread of the corona, with many states finding themselves in competition with one another for valuable tools, such as respirators and protective equipment.
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As of yesterday, the death toll in the US is more than 21,000, with more than 530,000 Americans being tested. The epidemic continues to be the state of New York, where the death toll is more than 8,600, and the number of people infected has increased From 180,000.
Despite the difficult data and the almost unprecedented situation, President Trump sought to concentrate last night on the positive signs that - perhaps - indicate that the epidemic is reaching its peak. "It's a very good sign that empty beds in hospitals are becoming more and more common," the president tweeted last night. "We deployed 418 physicians, nurses, and respiratory physiotherapists from the hospital ship (which is anchored in Manhattan; YL) and the convention center (in Manhattan, which was also converted to a hospital; YL) to hospitals in the city and New York state."
The head of the United States Center for Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Pawchi, also said in an interview with CNN "cautious optimism." However, he admitted that if US restrictions were imposed earlier, "we could have saved lives."