140,000 Cases in the US in One Day... Record High
Biden's COVID Task Force Proposes Up to 6 Weeks Lockdown
Trump Presidential Campaign Senior Advisor Tests Positive for COVID
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The global daily number of new COVID-19 cases has surpassed 660,000, setting a new record once again. As the situation worsens mainly in the United States and Europe, the major hotspots, pessimism is growing that the spread will not easily subside even after the vaccine rollout. Joe Biden, the President-elect of the United States who has prioritized eradicating COVID-19, is making swift efforts to respond by holding talks with world leaders and the Pope for international cooperation and urging the U.S. Congress to pass a large-scale stimulus package. Meanwhile, the White House, which has been criticized for abandoning efforts related to COVID-19 following Donald Trump's refusal to concede the election, has shown signs of losing control as close aides to President Trump have been newly infected with COVID-19.
According to foreign media including CNN on the 12th (local time), the COVID-19 statistics compiled by Johns Hopkins University showed that the global daily new cases reached 666,053, surpassing the previous record once again. The total global confirmed cases reached 52,588,560, with total deaths at 1,290,840. In the United States, which has suffered the most damage, 144,133 new cases were reported in a single day, breaking the all-time high.
Not only in the United States but also in Europe, the spread of COVID-19 is severe. On this day, the UK announced that daily new cases exceeded 33,470, setting a new record. In France, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations surpassed the record high of 32,000, leading to a shortage of hospital beds. French Prime Minister Jean Castex explained the severity of the situation at a COVID-19 briefing held that day, saying, "One person is admitted to the hospital every 30 seconds and one person is admitted to the intensive care unit every 3 minutes due to COVID-19."
Biden’s efforts to overcome COVID-19 are also accelerating. On this day, President-elect Biden spoke with the Pope, seeking cooperation on international collaboration during the COVID-19 crisis and on responses to climate change and other emergencies. He also discussed the urgency of preparing a stimulus package in phone calls with Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Chuck Schumer, Democratic Senate Majority Leader.
The COVID-19 response task force (TF) team, established immediately after Biden’s transition team was launched, introduced plans for new lockdown measures. According to The Hill, Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said in an interview with Yahoo News the day before, "We need to impose lockdown measures for 4 to a maximum of 6 weeks and then utilize vaccines in the first or second quarter of next year." He added, "Considering historically low interest rates, the government can compensate for the losses of workers’ wages, small businesses, and local governments."
On the other hand, the White House is facing criticism as a hotbed of COVID-19 spread after close aides to President Trump were newly infected. According to The Washington Post (WP), Corey Lewandowski, a senior advisor to Trump’s presidential campaign and a close aide, tested positive for COVID-19. It is presumed he contracted the virus at a White House party held on Election Day, November 3rd. Other attendees of the party, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, and senior election advisor David Bossie, have also tested positive one after another.
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