US coronavirus cases pass 2 million

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The United States’ coronavirus pandemic passed another sombre milestone on Wednesday as confirmed cases surpassed two million, according to John Hopkins University data.

Five US states - New York, New Jersey, California, Illinois, and Massachusetts - have seen more than 100,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases each.

Almost 210,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in New York City alone since the US pandemic began, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Whilst one million Americans contracted the virus within the initial three months of the pandemic, the past one million cases were contracted within six weeks, according to the data.

The US also continues to have more confirmed Covid-19 cases and deaths – which have passed 112,000 – than any other nation.

The National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP), issued a warning this week that the US case count was “multiples more” than the confirmed two million.

“We are very much seeing only the proverbial tip of the iceberg,” Irwin Redlener, NCDP director, told the Guardian. “We are hampered by the lack of sufficient testing, especially as businesses are reopening across all 50 states.”

US authorities have otherwise claimed that high testing levels were contributing to the confirmed case count, in comparison to other states and international data.

Whilst new coronavirus cases have declined in some parts of the US, including New York, there are now 20 states with rising infection rates as states ease some restrictions.

California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Arizona are among 20 states with more cases on average in the past week, according to New York Times analysis.

Arizona alone has seen, on average, more than 1,000 new cases each day this week. The highest per capita rate in the US.

“It’s very clear that it’s a real increase in community spread,” Will Humble, Arizona Public Health Association executive director, told KJZZ in Phoenix. “It’s not some artifact of additional testing.”