US braces for ‘hardest, saddest’ week as virus deaths surpass 9,000

Reuters: The United States enters one of the most critical weeks so far in the coronavirus crisis with the death toll exploding in New York, Michigan and Louisiana, and some governors calling for a national order to stay at home.

New York, the hardest-hit state, reported on Sunday that there were nearly 600 new deaths for a total of 4,159 deaths and 122,000 total cases. 

Most states have ordered residents to stay home except for essential trips to slow the spread of the virus in the United States, where over 321,000 people have tested positive and more than 9,100 have died, according to a Reuters tally. 

Louisiana has become a hotspot for the virus, on Saturday reporting a jump in deaths to 409 and more than 12,000 cases.

White House medical experts have forecast that between 100,000 to 240,000 Americans could be killed in the pandemic, even if sweeping orders to stay home are followed.