Coronavirus Moves to the Midwest
- fionacsweet
- Jul 30, 2020
- 2 min read
The US Northeast got hit the hardest at first in March. Then the tides turned and the South and West got the brunt of new cases in June and July. However, cases from the South and West are now starting to level off and states in the Midwest have started noticing an increase in their cases. (graph as cover photo)
States such as Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee are seeing coronavirus tests come back with increasing levels of positivity. In an interview with MSNBC, Dr. Fauci said that "What inevitably is going to happen is that the states that are not yet in trouble, will likely get into trouble." Dr. Deborah Birx, the leader of the White House coronavirus task force, calls this the virus "moving up" and has spoken on Fox and Friends asking state and local officials to issue mask mandates.
Midwest governors are already taking steps to prevent increasing numbers of virus cases. In Indiana, officials have decided to conduct a second round of testing on nursing home staff in order to prevent rising numbers from reaching nursing homes. In Illinois, the High School Association Board of Directors have proposed moving all fall sports to spring sports. In Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order limiting gatherings to 10 people and closed bars for indoor service beginning July 31.
Unfortunately, our disheartening economic numbers released today underscore the importance of stopping the virus. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the US economy contracted at a 32.9% annual rate from April through June, its worst drop on record.
Hopefully, we can stop this upward trend in the Midwest early so the virus does not cause as much destruction as it did in the Northeast, South, and West. In addition, I hope that these recent economic numbers do not stop our push to mitigate coronavirus. In other interesting news, Fauci is recommending people to wear goggles or an eye shield in addition to their mask for better protection from COVID-19. I don't know if he is talking about the pool kind or the medical kind, but either way I am in. I will either look like some sort of genius child scientist or like I should be playing mermaids at the pool, and honestly, I am down for both looks.
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