Immune To COVID? New Study Suggests Why

Cases of COVID-19 worldwide topped 15 million on Wednesday, a day after the United States recorded one of the highest daily death tolls in nearly two months.

Several different databases that track the coronavirus pandemic noted the uptick in U.S. deaths. The New York Times tracker counted 1,120 deaths on Tuesday. The COVID Tracking Project counted 1,129, the second highest number in a single day since May 29.

The only day with a higher number since late May was June 25, when New Jersey updated its numbers with 2,000 previously uncounted deaths.

There were also more than 59,000 people hospitalized nationwide as of Tuesday, nearly a tie for the highest number since the COVID Tracking Project began counting hospitalizations in mid-March.

(MORE: U.S. Travelers Banned From Bahamas)

The near-record numbers came on the same day California, with more than 409,000 infections, passed New York for the highest number of COVID-19 cases in any state, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. New York still remains the hardest hit overall with more than 32,000 deaths, roughly four times the number in California.

Health experts warn that death counts often lag weeks behind case counts.

In all, more than 142,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. and nearly 4 million have been infected. Worldwide, more than 618,000 have died.

Latest Developments

United States

-Three more states - Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio - issued face covering mandates on Wednesday. As of Tuesday, 39 states had some sort of face mask rule, according to CNN.

-Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is requesting that all travelers from any state with a 15% or higher positivity rate of coronavirus tests quarantine for 14 days. As of Wednesday afternoon, states that met that criteria were Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Missississippi, Nevada, South Carolina and Texas.

-The National Football League says spectators at its games will be required to wear face coverings. The NFL is still working out details of the 2020 season. Some teams have already announced that fans won't be allowed in, especially in areas where local rules prohibit large gatherings.

-More than half of new cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles are in people under 41 years old, the county health department said in a statement issued Tuesday. Los Angles County is one of the hardest hit areas in the nation, with more than 162,000 infections and 4,100 deaths.

-United Airlines is extending its on-board face mask requirement to airport waiting and ticketing areas, as well as lounges and baggage claim.

-Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young ordered all restaurants and bars to suspend indoor dining starting Friday. The city also issued a face covering order.

-In an about-face from previous statements, President Donald Trump on Tuesday acknowledged the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic and encouraged everyone to wear a mask. “It will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better,” Trump said in the first White House coronavirus briefing in months. Trump has been under pressure from health experts, aides, fellow republicans and others to encourage mask wearing, both from a public health standpoint and a political one as his poll numbers drop ahead of the November presidential election. “Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact," Trump said at the briefing. "I’m getting used to the mask."

-Pharmaceutical company Pfizer has been awarded a contract worth nearly $2 billion to supply the U.S. with as many as 600 million doses of a vaccine, the New York Times reported. The first shipment of 100 million doses could roll out by the end of the year. The federal government would pay for it and it would be administered for free.

-Florida, Louisiana, Arizona, Alabama and Nevada have recorded the highest average daily number of new cases per capita over the past week, according to Harvard University's coronavirus risk dashboard.

-Florida, with more than 369,000 cases, has the third-highest number overall, behind California and New York. Texas is fourth with about 353,000 infections.

-Nearly half of the 5,206 deaths recorded in Florida are linked to long term healthcare facilities, CNN reported.

Worldwide:

-A new study estimates that about 22% of the population in India's Delhi state, or some 6.6 million people, have been infected with COVID-19, The Associated Press reported. The government has officially recorded just 123,000. The study randomly tested about 21,000 people.

-Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro continues to test positive for COVID-19. Bolsonaro has had three tests since he became ill on July 7, with the most recent one on Tuesday. “The test carried out on the president yesterday, on the 21st, showed a positive result,” a statement from the communications ministry said, according to The Guardian.

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