The United States has officially passed four million confirmed cases of COVID-19. According to CNN, a quarter of that number was amassed in just the last 15 days.
The number of cases is of great concern for spreading in the South where officials rolled back closures earlier than other portions of the country.
“We’ve rolled back essentially two months’ worth of progress with what we’re seeing in number of cases … in the United States,” said Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health to CNN.
In addition to crossing four million, the states have passed 143,000 deaths from the virus. The tally for Wednesday was 67,429 a record for a single day.
With cases climbing, President Donald Trump has adjusted his approach toward masks, seemingly their use “patriotic.” In a stunning move, Trump also announced the cancellation of Republican National Convention activities in Jacksonville, Florida.
“I looked at my team and I said the timing for this event is not right. It’s just not right,” Trump said during his Thursday briefing. “To have a big convention, it’s not the right time.”
“There’s nothing more important in our country than keeping our people safe,” Trump said.
You can watch President Trump’s full press conference below.
