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A28 u.s. news
Diaranson 16 December 2020

Hopeful sign: Midwestern states see drop in new virus cases

After a punishing fall that than 16 million confirmed
left hospitals struggling, infections. On average, the
some Midwestern states U.S. is seeing about 2,400
are seeing a decline in new deaths and over 215,000 new
coronavirus cases. But the cases per day. An influential
signs of improvement are model from the University of
offset by the infection's Washington says deaths could
accelerating spread on total 502,000 by April 1, even
both coasts. with a vaccine.

States including Iowa, Mich- Lawler said more Nebraska
igan, Minnesota and Ne- residents appear to be follow-
braska have seen decreases in ing warnings to limit dining
the number of people testing out and wear masks in public.
positive for COVID-19 over It helps that a number of Ne-
the past couple of weeks. All, braska cities recently passed
however, are still experienc- mask mandates, he said.
ing an alarming number of But he said it's important for
deaths and hospitalizations Nebraskans to remain vigi-
because of the earlier surge of lant about maintaining social
cases. distancing as they wait for
vaccines to become widely
With winter weather driv- available in the spring.
ing people indoors, where
the virus spreads more eas- In a call with governors this
ily, there's no guarantee the still turn south pretty easily." now," said Dr. Stacey Mar- ago. week, White House corona-
improving dynamic can be low, an emergency room virus task force member Dr.
maintained, doctors and pub- But he and others are encour- physician at UnityPoint Al- The hope, of course, is that Deborah Birx said the prog-
lic health officials say. aged by the figures. In Iowa, len Hospital in Waterloo, the drop in infections will ress in Midwestern states is
for example, the number of Iowa. The COVID patients translate into a decline in being offset by a "deteriorat-
"We have a vaccine rolling new virus cases reported dai- that I am seeing are very, very deaths, but that could take ing situation" on both coasts.
out, but that doesn't change ly has declined over the past sick. But there are ... less of a few weeks. Many of those
the overall picture," Dr. James two weeks from nearly 1,800 them." now dying of COVID-19 Nationwide, the number of
Lawler with the University of to about 1,250. In Nebraska, may have been infected people in the hospital with
Nebraska Medical Center's it has gone from about 1,800 Deaths from the virus in weeks ago. the virus has hit an all-time
Global Center for Health a day to a little under 1,300. Iowa have continued to rise high of more than 110,000,
Security told the Omaha sharply, to an average of 79 Nationwide, the death toll has according to the COVID
World-Herald. "Things could "I am fingers crossed right a day, up from 28 two weeks topped 300,000, with more Tracking Project.

Biden to pick Buttigieg as transportation chief

President-elect Joe Biden est city, holding the position The South Bend chapter of end up seeing a hell of a lot of multilane thoroughfares
is expected to pick for- from 2012 to 2020. He also Black Lives Matter, how- more of Pete than you are of into two-way routes that en-
mer South Bend, Indiana, served a seven-month de- ever, denounced Buttigieg's me." hanced South Bend's down-
mayor Pete Buttigieg to ployment as an intelligence impending nomination. The Biden has pledged to spend town. The project received
head the Transportation officer in Afghanistan. With group had made their dis- billions making major infra- awards for environmental
Department, according to his presidential campaign, he pleasure of Buttigieg known structure improvements and protection.
three people familiar with became the first openly gay during his presidential cam- on retrofitting initiatives that
the plans. man to become — however paign, following the 2019 can help the U.S. battle cli- Though on a far smaller scale
briefly — a leading presi- South Bend shooting of a mate change. He also wants than the nation's transporta-
Buttigieg, one of Biden's dential candidate. He has Black man by a white police to immediately mandate tion systems, the project, as
rivals for the Democratic been married to his husband, officer. mask-wearing on airplanes well as Buttigieg's initiative
presidential nomination, was Chasten, since 2018. and public transportation to convert the city's sewers to
a breakout star of the prima- "We saw Black communities systems to slow the spread of a smart-flow system, demon-
ries, sharing victory in the LGBTQ rights groups im- have their houses torn down the coronavirus. strate what supporters praised
nation's first caucus with Ver- mediately spoke out in praise by his administration," BLM's as Buttigieg's next-generation
mont Sen. Bernie Sanders. of Biden's selection of But- South Bend leader Jorden Infrastructure spending can infrastructure vision.
He suspended his campaign tigieg. Giger said in a statement, re- be a bipartisan issue, and
before Super Tuesday and ferring to Buttigieg's effort to President Donald Trump The once most frequent-
endorsed Biden. "Pete's nomination is a new tear down substandard hous- spent years promising to ly mentioned early pick to
milestone in a decades- ing. "We saw the machinery push a major bill through head the Transportation De-
The three people confirmed long effort to ensure LG- of his police turned against Congress that never materi- partment, President Barack
the news to The Associated BTQ people are represented Black people." alized. Instead his adminis- Obama's former chief of staff
Press on condition of ano- throughout our government tration moved to soften car- and ex-Chicago Mayor Rahm
nymity because they didn't – and its impact will rever- Biden has compared the bon emissions standards that Emanuel, sparked strong
want to publicly preempt the berate well-beyond the de- 38-year-old Buttigieg to his Biden's team will likely work pushback from top progres-
president-elect's announce- partment he will lead," said late son, Beau. to undo as part of the broad- sive activists. Emanuel, also a
ment. The Transportation Annise Parker, president and er commitment to slowing former congressman, helped
Department helps oversee CEO of the LGBTQ Victory "To me, it's the highest com- global warming. oversee the Obama adminis-
the nation's highway system, Institute. "It distances our na- pliment I can give any man tration's distribution of tens
planes, trains and mass tran- tion from a troubled legacy of or woman. And, like Beau, Despite having governed a of billions of dollars in trans-
sit and is poised to play a key barring out LGBTQ people he has a backbone like a ram- city of barely 100,000, But- portation spending as part of
role early in the incoming ad- from government positions rod," Biden said during the tigieg was credited with a massive stimulus bill ap-
ministration. and moves us closer to the March event, as Buttigieg transforming traffic with proved following the finan-
President-elect's vision of stood behind him, bowing his Smart Streets initiative, cial crisis — but now seems
Buttigieg is the former may- a government that reflects his head. "I promise you, over a three-year project to con- unlikely to take any position
or of Indiana's fourth larg- America." your lifetime, you're going to vert 8 miles (12.9 kilometers) in Biden's administration.