COVID-19 Not Less Infectious In US, Minorities Hit Hardest - CDC Director

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th June, 2020) The pace of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the US appears to have peaked with fewer cases and deaths compared to a month ago, but that does not mean there is any less danger from the virus, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Robert Redfield said on Thursday.

"No," Redfield said at a congressional hearing when asked if the virus is now less infectious. "In fact, we must lessen the impact of COVID-19 on� African Americans, Hispanics, Latino American, Indian and Alaska natives who are being disproportionately affected by this disease."

The United States is the country worst hit by the pandemic, with nearly 2 million infections and 110,000 deaths from the outbreak, or about a third of the 6.6 million cases and quarter of the 390,000 fatalities globally.

Yet, after more than two months of economic lockdowns and social distancing and other safety measures, the pandemic's impact on America seems to have peaked, with just about 500 deaths a day now compared to the more than 1,000 daily between certain stretches in late March and early April.

President Donald Trump, who stands for reelection in November, has been pushing the 50 US states to fully reopen businesses to mitigate further economic fallout from the pandemic, which has already left 43 million Americans jobless in the last three months. His aggressive push for reopen has earned the president criticism that he's risking a second wave of infections.

Redfield, testifying at a hearing called by Trump's Democrat rivals to discuss the government's response to the pandemic, avoided commenting on whether the administration was being hasty in pushing for a full reopen in the country.