US deaths top 70,000, cases 1.2 million

Washington: The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States reached 1,201,337 as of 6 p.m. (2200 GMT) Tuesday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. Meanwhile, the death toll from the disease in the country hit 70,646, Xinhua news agency reported. New York remains the hardest-hit state, with 321,192 cases and 25,073 deaths, followed by New Jersey with 130,593 cases and 8,244 deaths. Other states with over 50,000 cases include Massachusetts, Illinois, California, and Pennsylvania, according to the CSSE.

The number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States topped 70,000, representing over a quarter of all the virus deaths reported worldwide, as Americans give negative marks for the federal government's handling of the outbreak.

While Americans overwhelmingly think highly of what federal scientists have done to deal with the contagion, they continue to give President Donald Trump negative marks for his handling of the coronavirus outbreak, showed The Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released on Tuesday.

The poll surveyed a random national sample of 1,005 adults by phone from April 28 to May 3. It has a 3.5-point margin of error. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, earned 74 per cent of positive rating and won widespread bipartisan consent, showed the poll.

The nation's top infectious disease expert gained approval from more than two-thirds of Republicans and independents, and nearly nine in 10 Democrats. Trump's ratings are 44 percent positive and 56 percent negative, with nearly 80 percent Republicans but just about 20 percent Democrats viewing Trump positively as relates to the pandemic, said the poll.

Also, the poll indicated a majority of Americans oppose reopening most businesses despite such measures are being taken in a phased manner in more and more states across the country.

Respondents are most opposed to reopening movie theatres, with 82 of them saying so. Meanwhile, 78 per cent said they don't want gyms to reopen, while 74 per cent are opposed to the reopening of dine-in restaurants and nail salons.

As for other types of business, 70 per cent oppose reopening gun stores, followed by barber shops and hair salons with 69 per cent opposition. 66 per cent oppose reopening clothing retailers while 59 per cent oppose reopening golf courses, the poll showed.

Trump said Tuesday that he will allow 79-year-old Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus response team, to testify before the Republican-controlled Senate next week, but that the expert will be barred from appearing in the House, where the Democrats hold a majority.