"US COVID-19 Infections May Reach 24 Million"‥Texas Halts Economic Activity Resumption

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) observed that the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the United States could be 10 times higher than currently reported. Ten times the current cumulative infected population of 2.4 million would amount to approximately 24 million. In Texas, where infections have surged, further reopening of economic activities has been halted.

An ambulance is entering a hospital in Houston, Texas.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

According to the Washington Post on the 25th (local time), Robert Redfield, CDC director, said during a conference call with reporters that "COVID-19 has many asymptomatic infections," and "Our current assessment is that for every reported COVID-19 infection, there are another 10 infections."

Director Redfield also stated that 5-8% of the US population may have been infected with COVID-19. This means that out of the 330 million people in the United States, between 16.5 million and 26.4 million may have been infected. According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as of this afternoon, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US stands at 2,410,279.

Redfield explained that this assessment was made through investigations not only of COVID-19 tests but also of blood samples such as those from blood donations, and warned that "this pandemic is not over."

Together with California and Florida, Texas, which has recently become a hotspot for infection spread, ultimately decided not to proceed with further reopening of economic activities. Texas Governor Greg Abbott made this decision following his statement a day earlier that the COVID-19 surge posed a serious threat and his request for a de facto stay-at-home order. An administrative order was also issued to secure hospital beds in response to the spread of infections.

Johns Hopkins University reported 5,400 new COVID-19 cases in Texas on the 24th. The New York Times also reported that the cumulative number of infections in Texas has surpassed 130,000. The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas has reached 4,300, doubling compared to early this month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.