COVID-19 outbreak picks up in Midwest as summer travel spreads virus – Reuters

Reuters reported on how coronavirus infections have appeared to be picking up in the US Midwest, according to the coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force son Thursday, as Ohio reported a record day of cases and Wisconsin’s governor mandated the use of masks. 

Lead paragraphs

The coronavirus outbreak is “moving up” into Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska from the south “because of vacations and other reasons of travel”, Deborah Birx told Fox News. 

Ohio’s health department said the state had its highest single-day increase in cases the pandemic started in January, which Governor Mike DeWine told a news conference was “certainly not good news.” 

A few states away in Wisconsin, Tony Evers joined dozens of other governors who have ordered residents to wear face coverings in public. Masks are recommended by health experts, but some conservatives say such orders violate the U.S. Constitution.

 “While I know emotions are high when it comes to wearing face coverings in public, my job as governor is to put people first and to do what’s best for the people of our state so that’s what I am going to do,” Evers, a Democrat, said in a statement.

Key notes

•  The United States remains the country most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, surpassing a death toll of 150,000 on Wednesday.
• Florida reported a record increase in new COVID-19 deaths for a third consecutive don Thursday, according to the state health department, while Arizona also reported a record increase in fatalities.
• The two states had been hotspots with major outbreaks, but new cases have recently slowed in both, according to a Reuters tally.  
•  According to the temporary healthcare staffing platform NurseFly, demand for nurses Arizona increased 75% in July over June. 

Market implications

The surge and spread in novel coronavirus cases has hampered efforts to recover from an economic crisis brought on by stay-at-home orders and business closures.

Millions of Americans out of work and the consumer is anxious.

Subsequently, the pressured US dollar is now under extreme scrutiny:

• DXY: Dollar liquidity plentiful thanks to the Fed, markets increasingly bearish on US outlook