A flow chart illustrating the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States through April 13 (info from www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/)
A lack of new hot spots in the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic appears to be holding steady for the second day in a row, fueling a debate about how soon governments around the world could start scaling back social restrictions and reopen economies.
While concerns remained over the virus’ fresh spread in places like Japan and Indonesia, there were no specific locations that are currently undergoing an explosion in hospitalizations and deaths that were seen earlier in China, southern Europe and parts of the United States.
Even in New York State — where deaths passed 10,000 on Monday — Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared the “worst is over if we can continue to be smart.”
The number of people hospitalized with the virus in New York has almost flattened at just under 19,000. Overall, an estimated 196,000 confirmed infections have been reported in the state to go along with the 10,058 deaths.
Locally in Chautauqua County, health officials say the confirmed case count remained at 24 on Monday with no new cases being reported.
Across the US, there have been a total of 582,000 confirmed cases to go along with 23,649 deaths. An estimated 37,000 confirmed cases have also recovered. Worldwide, the total confirmed case count is at 1.93 million with over 120,000 total deaths. Over 460,000 people – nearly one quarter of all confirmed cases – are also now reported as recovered.
Health officials say social distancing and lockdowns that were imposed weeks ago around the world have helped to keep the grimmest of projections from becoming a reality. But questions remain about what could happen once those safety measures are eased or lifted entirely.
Health authorities have warned that easing up too soon could undo the hard-earned progress and lead to new outbreaks.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older people and the infirm, it can cause severe symptoms and lead to death.
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