(NEW YORK) — Here are today’s In Crisis headlines:
Nation wakes to first day after Derek Chauvin verdict; Biden calls verdict “a step forward”
Eleven months after George Floyd’s death in police custody, Americans woke Wednesday to the first day following a Minneapolis jury’s verdict that found former officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in causing Floyd’s death. Chauvin, whose bail was revoked following Tuesday’s convictions on two counts of murder and one of manslaughter, awoke in the Hennepin County jail, where he will remain until his sentencing in eight weeks. He could receive up to 40 years in prison. Chauvin on Tuesday waived his right to allow the jury to determine his sentence, meaning it will be determined by Judge Peter Cahill.
In televised remarks to the nation Tuesday following the verdict, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris each made a point of saying that there’s still work to be done to ensure equal justice for Americans of color. “A measure of justice isn’t the same as equal justice,” said Harris, adding, “[W]e still have work to do. We still must reform the system.” President Biden said he spoke with Floyd’s family following the verdict, and “assured them we are going to continue to fight for the passage of the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act, so I can sign the law as quickly as possible.” He added that the verdict “could be a moment of significant change” and a “step forward” in addressing “[t]he systemic racism [that] is a stain on our nation’s soul.”
At a family news conference Tuesday, Floyd’s brother, Philonise, said he’s been getting messages from around the world: “[T]hey’re all saying the same thing: ‘We won’t be able to breathe until you’re able to breathe.’ Today, we are able to breathe again.” Floyd family attorney Ben Crump said the verdict “is a victory for those who champion humanity over inhumanity. Those who champion justice over injustice.”
COVID-19 numbers
Here’s the latest data on COVID-19 coronavirus infections, deaths and vaccinations.
Latest reported COVID-19 numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 143,052,070
Global deaths: 3,046,871. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 568,475.
Number of countries/regions: at least 192
Total patients recovered globally: 82,007,128
Latest reported COVID-19 numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 31,793,715 reported cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. This is more than in any other country.
U.S. deaths: at least 568,475. California has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 61,122.
U.S. total people tested: 419,737,011
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 3,723,446 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. This ranks third in the world after England, which has 3,839,002 cases, and Maharashtra, India, which leads the world with 3,960,359 reported cases. Texas is second in the U.S., with 2,860,098 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 29 million.
Latest reported COVID-19 vaccination numbers in the United States
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a total of 272,030,795 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. Of those, 213,388,238 doses have been administered, with 133,266,995 people receiving at least one dose and 86,223,506 people fully vaccinated, representing 40.1% and 26% of the total U.S. population, respectively. The Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines each require two doses to be effective. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires a single dose to be effective.
US COVID-19 hospitalizations, deaths tick upward
Though the U.S. COVID-19 case average continues to tick down slightly, now standing at 67,000 cases, the number of patients hospitalized with the virus nationwide remains at over 38,000, with the average up by approximately 4% in the last week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services. Tuesday’s COVID-19 hospitalization total also marked the largest number of patients hospitalized in over six weeks. Nationally, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware still hold the highest case rate per 100,000 people over the last seven days.
COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. also increased over the past seven days by 2.8%. The number of reported fatalities currently stands at 568,475, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The CDC has updated its forecast of COVID-19 deaths, and is currently estimating that a total of 579,000 to 596,000 COVID-19 deaths will be reported by the week ending May 15.
More than 5.2 million new cases of coronavirus were reported across the world last week, according to the World Health Organization, marking the eighth consecutive week of increasing cases and the largest number of new infections confirmed in a single week to date.
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