The United States beat a global benchmark on Tuesday. More than a million Americans have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the John Hopkins University count. The country reaches this record, along with the peak of more than 57,000 deceased, when the US It is in the process of reopening the economy, despite the fact that, although it has slowed down, the disease is still spreading.

The first contagions occurred in late January. On April 10 the 500,000 level was exceeded. The same figure that took more than two and a half months has been achieved in just two weeks.

The spread has occurred through nursing homes, prisons, or meat processing plants

Infections in the United States account for a third of the world total, with an absolute count of more than 213,000 deaths. It has more cases than the combined sum of the following five countries, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. These numbers are partly a reflection of the population – more than 320 million residents of the United States – but they also offer particular signs in this devastation, reflecting a slow response, despite knowing the impact in Europe and Asia, and the contempt that President Donald Trump showed towards the effect of this pathogen.

From the handful of positives in January it jumped to a national crisis that has led to the devastation of families, the closure of the economy, and the consequent destruction of 26 million jobs in five weeks, and a transformation of personal relationships with the implantation of social distance and the rule of staying home.

The spread has occurred through nursing homes, prisons, or meat processing plants.

Trump continues to encourage states to lift restrictions

For experts, the true number of infected is much higher than that million. This number does not include the many who contracted the pathogen and who were never tested, both for not showing symptoms and for the persistent lack of devices to carry out these tests. There are projections in which the number of infected is multiplied by ten.

The death toll has also been called into question. Some reports argue that many are missing. They are based on the fact that death rates registered an increase in the weeks before this accounting began.

In the midst of this picture, President Trump continues to encourage states to lift the restrictions, though White House scientists warn of the danger of a second wave. “Many states are moving safely and quickly,” Trump tweeted Tuesday. He also argued once again that the ability to test is more than enough, although not a few governors reiterate their complaints about the lack of such tests.

While there are states that open, others like New York or Massachusetts maintain the restrictions, while others like California or New Jersey foresee limited and highly controlled movements.