The coronavirus death toll surged past 4,000 in the United States on Tuesday, eclipsing the total from the 9/11 terror attacks as New York City traded “Ground Zero” for “epicenter.”
Near where the World Trade Center towers collapsed more than 18 years ago, Wall Street capped a debacle of its own in the month after reaching dizzying heights.
More than 900 people have died from COVID-19 in Manhattan alone, and the city was opening temporary hospitals in a convention center, a Navy ship and Central Park. Refrigeration trucks were serving as temporary morgues.
Still, the nation’s top health expert found some reason for hope, saying social distancing was working and that the rate of increase of New York City cases might be starting to slow.
More than 500 deaths were reported nationwide Monday, the highest daily total since the first American died six weeks ago. The U.S. death toll, at 4,076 early Wednesday, has now surpassed China, where the pandemic began late last year.
Source: USA Today
