The Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Dashboard for Tuesday morning, July 7, at 7:35 a.m.:
Worldwide cases: 11,688,913 Worldwide deaths: 539,993
U.S. cases: 2,961,232 U.S. deaths: 130,751
According to the Dashboard, the reported worldwide cases increased by 193,501 in the last 26 hours, and 4,808 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported.
According to the Dashboard, the United States has added 63,619 cases in the last 26 hours, and deaths attributed to COVID-19 have increased by 744.
Health experts say cases in the U.S. continue to increase at a concerning rate. Many of the cases are in younger people. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the average age now of those contracting COVID-19 in that state is 21. Young people are less likely to have serious complications, and DeSantis said in a talk that the fatality rate in Florida is now around 2%.
The rate of those testing positive for COVID-19 in Florida is around 15%, up from the positive rate of 10% in March and the rate of around 5% in April and May through early June. DeSantis also urged those 65 or older or anybody with underlying health conditions to avoid crowds and minimize contact with people outside of their home. DeSantis said the state is doing increased testing, but the positive rate has now remained at around 15% for more than two weeks, so the increase is not just a result of increased testing. He also said for every documented case, there are more cases in the state. He said the goal is to get back down to 3% to 4%. Florida does not release the number of patients hospitalized.
Arizona, Texas, and California are also seeing record numbers of COVID-19 cases. U.S. Military personnel with medical backgrounds are being deployed to Texas to help handle the increased demand at hospitals.
Some notable figures have now tested positive for COVID-19, including Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Bottoms said she has had no symptoms. Her husband and one of their children have also tested positive.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, 65, has tested positive. He has announced he is taking the drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment, despite the World Health Organization temporarily halting drug trials using hydroxychloroquine after reports that patients with COVID-19 using the drug had a higher death rate than those not using it. The FDA pulled its Emergency Use Authorization for hydroxychloroquine after reports of complications such as heart disease in patients using the drug for COVID-19. In late June, the United Kingdom’s regulatory agency announced it was allowing resumption of hydroxychloroquine trials in healthcare professionals to see if it could be used to prevent or treat COVID-19.