US Facing Critical Coronavirus Surge

By Staff, Agencies

Coronavirus infections are surging across large parts of the United States, top US infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci warned, as the death toll in Latin America passed 100,000.

The developments highlighted how far away the world remains from ending the pandemic, six months into a crisis that has claimed nearly 500,000 lives and devastated the global economy.

Even in Europe, which has been loosening travel restrictions following a brutal few months when it was the epicenter of the pandemic, there have been major setbacks.

In the United States, Fauci warned the next two weeks would be "critical to our ability to address... surgings" in Florida, Texas and other states.

The United States has already recorded more deaths than any other nation, with nearly 800 more fatalities Tuesday taking its toll past 121,000.

However US President Donald Trump, whose handling of the crisis has been widely criticized as erratic, is determined to fast-track efforts to restore normality.

He continued to stoke controversy Tuesday, doubling down on weekend comments he wanted to slow testing because so many confirmed infections made the United States look bad.

With parts of the United States unable to contain the pandemic, the European Union was considering blocking US travelers as it reopens its borders to tourism, the New York Times reported.