Grim virus milestone reached

WASHINGTON－The United States surpassed 170,000 deaths from the coronavirus on Sunday, a tally by the Johns Hopkins University shows, as health officials express concerns over COVID-19 complicating the fall flu season.

Deaths rose by 483 on Sunday, with the states of Florida, Texas and Louisiana leading the increases. The US has recorded at least 5.4 million cases of COVID-19, more than any other country and likely an undercount given that testing has not been ramped up to recommended levels.

Public health officials and authorities are concerned about a possible resurgence in cases in the fall with the start of the traditional flu season. This would likely exacerbate efforts to treat the novel coronavirus.

US Centers for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield, in an interview with Web MD, warned that the US may be in for its "worst fall" if people do not follow health guidelines.

Months into the pandemic, the US economic recovery from the recession triggered by the outbreak is still staggered, with some hot spots slowing their reopenings and others shutting down businesses.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation expects an uptick in COVID-19 cases in the coming months, resulting in around 300,000 total deaths by December, and a nearly 75 percent increase in hospitalizations.

With more than 21.5 million cases worldwide, rising infections is also threatening further disruption in Europe, where summer holidaymakers are helping fuel a resurgence in cases. The disease has killed more than 766,000 people globally.

Election delayed

Italy－once the global epicenter－has ordered the three-week closure of all dance venues after a pickup in infections over the weekend blamed in part on young partygoers. But government attempts to curb the spread of the virus in parts of Spain and Brussels have been met by skepticism and protests.

"They are forcing us to use a mask. They want us to stay home practically locked up," said Pilar Martin, 58, at a rally in Madrid where many promoted debunked conspiracy theories about the coronavirus' being a hoax.

That came after Britain removed France, the Netherlands, Malta and three other countries from its list of places exempt from self-isolation rules.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday postponed a national election to focus on fighting an outbreak. The poll's postponement to October 17 came after the shock discovery of COVID-19 in Auckland last week, ending the nation's 102-day streak without community transmission.

South Korea on Monday warned of tighter restrictions as new outbreaks appeared, including one linked to a church where more than 300 members of a congregation have been infected.

The latest cases took the country's total infections to 15,515, including 305 deaths.

In India, health ministry data showed on Monday that the country's death toll from COVID-19 hit 50,000, with more than 900 new fatalities added since the previous day.

India last week overtook Britain as the country with the fourth-highest number of deaths, behind the US, Brazil and Mexico. It has recorded 2.6 million infections, trailing only the US and Brazil.

Xinhua - Agencies