More than 7 million infected with COVID-19 and over 400,000 dead worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins

CDC director says protests could spur new outbreaks

CDC Director Robert Redfield expressed concern over mass protests amid the coronavirus pandemic.

As of June 8, there are more than 7 million people across the world confirmed to have COVID-19 and over 400,000 people have died from the novel coronavirus, according to the most recent data available from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

In the United States, nearly 2 million people are confirmed to have COVID-19 and over 110,000 have died after contracting the virus, according to Johns Hopkins’ data. The U.S. is the country with the highest number of COVID-19 infections and related deaths.

The grim milestone comes at a time when many individuals have taken to city streets to protest police brutality following the death of George Floyd.

Floyd, an unarmed black man, died on May 25 after Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis police officer, knelt on his neck for an extended period of time.

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Numerous figures and organizations indicated their support of Black Lives Matter and the protests. Health officials, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Robert Redfield, have expressed concern that protests will contribute to a spike in coronavirus cases.

The COVID-19 milestones also come at a time when cities and states are starting to reopen their economies. Major casinos and resorts in Las Vegas recently reopened their doors to guests but with certain COVID-19 preventative policies and guidelines in place.

After three gloomy months and 21,000 deaths that made it the nation's most lethal hot spot, New York City slowly began reopening Monday in the biggest test yet of Americans' ability to keep the coronavirus in check.

On June 8, economists confirmed that the United States entered a recession in February. Unemployment numbers in May were better than what economists had initially predicted, but are still on par with Great Depression levels due to the pandemic.

Low-wage essential workers, including grocery store employees and delivery drivers, are more likely to face dangerous working conditions and food insecurity than those in higher-paying roles, and even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

President Donald Trump is aiming to resume campaign rallies in the coming weeks, though the locations and coronavirus precautions still are being worked out.

Trump's rally schedule came to a sudden halt three months ago when the COVID-19 pandemic largely shuttered the nation, but the president has been eager to get back on the campaign trail and resume the rallies that have been the hallmark of his political career.

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The grim forecast came from a recent government report.

The president's eagerness to resume rallies comes as internal and public surveys show his reelection campaign against Democrat Joe Biden is struggling. He's also looking for a campaign reset as the nation tries to adjust to a new normal after contending with the virus, a teetering economy and weeks of nationwide protests against racial injustice.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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