Public Health

The person who started the first chain of sustained transmission of the new coronavirus in the U.S. likely came into the country with the virus in mid-February, which throws into question the theory that sustained transmission began with the country's…

The U.S. has reported 1,681,418 COVID-19 cases and 98,929 related deaths as of 7:45 a.m. CDT May 27. Globally, there have been 5,614,458 reported cases and 350,958 deaths, while 2,307,510 have recovered.

The world could see a "second peak" of COVID-19 cases before a presumed second wave comes this fall, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization's emergencies program, said during a May 25 media briefing. 

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are falling in New York City, giving hard-hit hospitals time to reflect on their processes and solidify plans for a potential resurgence this fall, Northwell Health President and CEO Michael Dowling told The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. has reported 1,662,768 COVID-19 cases and 98,223 related deaths as of 8 a.m. CDT May 26. Globally, there have been 5,518,905 reported cases and 346,836 deaths, while 2,253,935 have recovered.

The following 27 states have eased or lifted their original stay-at-home orders, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation:

Stay-at-home orders could cause "irreparable damage" if imposed for too long, White House health adviser Anthony Fauci, MD, told CNBC May 22.

Deaths attributed to pneumonia, influenza or COVID-19 dropped by about 6 percentage points for the week ending May 16 compared to the week prior, but were still high compared to previous flu seasons, according to the CDC's weekly COVIDView report.

As of May 29, Tennessee had the highest COVID-19 reproduction rate and Hawaii had the lowest, according to rt.live, a website that calculates the rate at which the virus is spreading in all 50 states.

A judge refused to overturn Pennsylvania's stay-at-home orders May 21, according to The Patriot-News.