A leaked CDC document put the US as the worst of 10 countries trying to fight major coronavirus outbreaks

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A leaked CDC document put the US as the worst of 10 countries trying to fight major coronavirus outbreaks
Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro speaks at a hearing about COVID-19 held by the House subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, in Washington, DC, on June 4, 2020.Tasos Katopodis/Pool via REUTERS
  • Out of the ten countries worst-hit by the coronavirus, the US recorded the biggest jump in new cases within a 72-hour period this week.
  • The data was laid out in a leaked Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) document, obtained by Yahoo News.
  • Between June 6 and June 9, new US cases rose 36.5% from the average number of new cases, the document showed.
  • Peru, Russia, and India, all saw rises of less than 5%, and outbreaks in Brazil, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Iran slowed significantly, it also said.
  • The news comes as all 50 US states begin to lift monthslong lockdowns, and reopen schools and businesses.
  • President Donald Trump has also described the virus as "embers" and "ashes" as experts warn that the pandemic isn't over yet.
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A leaked Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) document has listed the US as the worst of ten countries trying to fight major coronavirus outbreaks.

The document, obtained by Yahoo News, showed that between June 6 and June 9, new COVID-19 infections in the US jumped 36.5% from the average number of new cases.

Meanwhile, other countries — including Peru, Russia, and India — recorded smaller percentage changes.

Brazil, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Iran, which also make up the list of the 10 worst-hit countries, saw marked drops in cases, the CDC document shows.

The report comes as all 50 US states press ahead with reopening and ending lockdowns.

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Twenty-one US states also reported an uptick in new cases this week, with nine states seeing an increase in hospitalizations.

As of Thursday, 2 million people in the US have now contracted the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University's tracker.

The spike in the US cases, as observed by the CDC in the June document, may be related to Black Lives Matter protests across the country, which started on May 25 over the death of George Floyd.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans marched in close proximity, with Deborah Birx, the top White House official overseeing the US coronavirus response, fearing that loud yelling by protesters may outweigh the benefits of wearing a face mask.

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However, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported on Wednesday that the number of new infections in Texas, Utah, and Arizona began to tick upward on May 27 — just after Memorial Day weekend — and before protests gained momentum.

Over that weekend, hundreds of people descended on beaches to enjoy the sun, flouting social-distancing rules, leaving their faces uncovered, packing bars, restaurants, and pools, and enjoying boat parades.

A leaked CDC document put the US as the worst of 10 countries trying to fight major coronavirus outbreaks
President Donald Trump in the White House Cabinet Room on June 10, 2020.Associated Press

President Donald Trump said last Friday that the virus was now "embers" and "ashes," adding that "we may have some flames coming, but we'll put them out."

The end to lockdowns in the US has concerned experts.

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"I understand people are willing to live alongside this virus," Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, told CNN on Wednesday.

"It means that between 800 and 1,000 Americans are going to die every single day. We're going to get another 100,000 deaths by September. So, that's a catastrophic cost."

Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious-diseases expert, also said on Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic "isn't over yet," and that experts are just "at almost the beginning of understanding" the virus.

And Luciana Borio, a former head of pandemic preparedness for the National Security Council, told Politico: "We still have a pandemic."

"Cases are rising, including from cases in congregate settings," she said.

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