Coronavirus update: COVID-19 is the third leading cause of death in the United States

COVID-19 has surged forward to become one of the leading killers in the United States, behind heart disease and cancer, according to a national health expert.

“COVID is now the # 3 cause deaths in the United States – before accidents, injuries, lung disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and many other causes, “the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told CNN on Monday , Dr Thomas Frieden.

Frieden added that the COVID-19 death rate in the United States is higher than in many other countries.

“Last week, Americans were eight times more likely to be killed by COVID than Europeans,” he said.

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Nationwide, more than 5.4 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 170,586 have died from the disease, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University. In all, nearly 22 million people worldwide have been confirmed to have the disease and more than 775,000 have died.

Latest developments

United States:

-Two other major universities moved are reducing the number of students on campus, at least temporarily. Michigan state told students planning to live in dorms to stay home and take distance education, while Notre Dame has replaced all in-person lessons with remote learning for the next two weeks.

-Dr. Deborah Birx, head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said lockdowns in the United States should have been more restrictive in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. “I wish that when we went into lockdown (in March) we looked like Italy,” Birx said on Monday. “When Italy closed its doors, I mean, people weren’t allowed to leave their homes (without a pass). Americans don’t react well to that kind of ban.”

-A 24-hour outdoor COVID-19 testing site at Mesa Community College in Maricopa County, Ariz. Has been destroyed high winds Monday night, according to a video posted to Facebook by Embry Women’s Health, which operates the site.

-The University of North Carolina announced Monday that it will close classes at its main campus in Chapel Hill effective Wednesday, due to clusters of coronavirus cases in dormitories and at least one fraternity house. The move came about a week after the students returned to campus.

-Ithaca College in New York City announced on Tuesday that classes will continue to be taught remotely during the fall semester. In a letter to the campus community, Ithaca President Shirley Collado quoted current health issues as well as the possibility that the campus will have to close again quickly if it opens.

-New York Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order that requires travelers of some states to fill out a health form before gaining access to their hotel rooms or short-term rentals. New York State currently requires travelers from more than 3 states, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, to be quarantined for 14 days. Similar rules apply in neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut.

Worldwide:

-After five months of some of the world’s toughest foreclosure rules, people in South Africa can buy alcohol and cigarettes again. Sales of both were banned at the end of March. Alcohol sales were re-authorized in June, but were halted when cases of the virus began to rise. Residents, wearing masks and practicing social distancing, lined up in stores across the country on Tuesday to purchase alcohol and tobacco products, the Associated Press reported. The number of new daily cases in South Africa fell from an average of 12,000 a day in July to less than 5,000 a day last week. In total, the country has reported 589,000 cases and nearly 12,000 deaths.

-Almost all of the cases of a recent outbreak in Australia are linked to travelers who returned from overseas, according to the AP. Officials say 99% of current infections in Victoria state can be traced to two hotels where returning travelers have transmitted COVID-19 to staff and their close contacts. The surge in cases has prompted further lockdowns in the city of Melbourne.

For the latest information on coronaviruses in your county and a full list of important resources to help you make the smarter decisions about the disease, check out our dedicated COVID-19 page.

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