With an increase in daily virus cases of almost 25 percent in the past two weeks, Vice President Mike Pence said Monday at the White House that Americans should expect to see more virus cases in coming days, but he argued the feds are better prepared for any new surge.
“The American people should anticipate that cases will rise in the days ahead,” Pence said at a Coronavirus event in the White House Rose Garden.
Pence noted that ‘cases and positivity’ were rising in 10 states, as cases are clearly increasing in Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas, Utah, Oregon and other areas.
“We’re ready, as we proved through the outbreak in the Sun Belt this summer,” Pence argued, noting the big increase in cases mainly in the South and Southwest, which has receded in many areas.
"North Dakota’s positive test rate has averaged 30% over the past 7 days compared with 6% the prior week. The positivity rate has risen to 26% in South Dakota, up from 17%...Montana’s positivity rate rose on Sunday to 20%, according to the analysis." https://t.co/U9tPv5hqVB
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) September 28, 2020
During a White House Rose Garden event where officials announced a new surge in testing resources for the states, President Trump spoke at a different podium than Vice President Pence and others - something which was used earlier this year when the virus outbreak was increasing.
In the last two weeks, the 7-day average of new daily Coronavirus cases has gone up from just over 34,000 per day to over 42,000 new cases per day - an increase of nearly 25 percent.
While states like Florida - which was hit hard in the surge that began in June - have seen their cases decline, the virus has now shifted to Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Arkansas, Missouri, and other states.
Pence’s assessment - that an increase in cases was coming - was also echoed by the President’s new top virus adviser, Dr. Scott Atlas.
“As the Vice President mentioned, we know that there are areas of the country that have more cases,” Atlas said.
“This is to be expected, with more social mingling,” Atlas added.
Most interesting moment of today's coronavirus event: Trump/Pence/Atlas all warning we should expect cases to rise in the coming weeks.
— Justin Sink (@justinsink) September 28, 2020
Looking to preempt worries, they argue it will likely be among healthy Americans at low risk for death and that treatment has gotten better
Trump took no questions. He again said the US is 'rounding the corner' on the Coronavirus, and that 'tremendous progress' is being made.
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) September 28, 2020
7-day average of deaths - 753/ day (down from 1,000+ in August)
7-day average of new cases - 42,000+ (up from 34k/day on Sept 12)
In mid-June, cases bottomed out at over 21,000 new cases per day - and then jumped to an average of 67,000 per day by mid-July.
That spurred an increase in deaths, which hit 1,070 per day in August.
The 7-day average of deaths has now dropped to 753 deaths per day.
The 7-day average of new daily virus cases bottomed out at 34,200 on September 12. It now stands at over 42,500 per day.