U.S. reports highest number of single-day coronavirus deaths since May
30 July 2020
Almost 66,000 new COVID-19 cases and more than 1,400 deaths from the virus were reported in the U.S. on Wednesday, per the COVID Tracking Project.
Why it matters: The toll marks the highest number of deaths from COVID-19 in a single day since May 15, according to the COVID Tracking Project's data. The U.S. coronavirus death toll surpassed 150,000 earlier Wednesday. "The rise in deaths is largely driven by the southern states, which reported 962 deaths today," it noted.
OK, our daily update is published. States reported 840k tests completed, nearly 66k new cases, and hospitalizations ticked up. The major observation, however, is that states reported more than 1400 deaths today, the most since May 15. pic.twitter.com/PGCu7Z4pXC
— The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) July 29, 2020
Driving the news: A total of 773 deaths were reported by coronavirus hot-spot states Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, according to the tracking project.
- Florida reported on Wednesday a state record of 216 coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours.
Of note: In Texas, a change in counting methods for deaths and Hurricane Hanna striking the state over the weekend may have caused some backlog and influenced the large number of deaths (313) reported on Wednesday, the tracking project notes.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.