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Dr. Tom Frieden: US nearing 200,000 Covid-19 deaths is a "reflection of a failing national response"
From CNN's Leinz Vales
Dr. Tom Frieden speaks with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday, September 16. CNNAs the United States approaches 200,000 coronavirus deaths, Dr. Tom Frieden, a former US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, said Wednesday that the number of reported deaths are a "reflection of a failing national response."
The former CDC director said he's concerned that Americans will get "hardened" to the number of coronavirus deaths.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the US has reported at least 196,465 coronavirus deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
According to Johns Hopkins, 1,293 deaths were reported Tuesday, which is the highest one-day total since Aug. 19.
"If you look at Germany, one fifth are death rate," Frieden said. "If you look at South Korea, 80 times fewer deaths than we've had. These are lives that have been lost and jobs that have been lost because we haven't had an organized, consistent, coherent federal response."
CNN is tracking US coronavirus cases and deaths:
A mask may provide better protection against Covid-19 than a vaccine, CDC director says
From CNN's Andrea Diaz
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, speaks at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on September 16 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/APWearing a face mask might provide better protection against Covid-19 than a vaccine, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during Wednesday's Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing.
"So I do want to keep asking the American public to take the responsibility, particularly the 18 to 25 year olds where we're seeing the outbreak in America continue to go like this," Redfield said.
Wales locks down one of its biggest regions after a spike in Covid-19 cases
From CNN's Samantha Tapfumaneyi
The Welsh government has locked down one of the nation’s biggest regions -- barring people from entering or leaving -- following a sharp increase in coronavirus cases.
Rhondda Cynon Taf, in south Wales, is the second county to be locked down. It has a population of nearly 240,000 people.
In a statement on Wednesday, Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething said:
The new measures will be imposed on Thursday from 1 p.m. ET. The rules apply to everyone living within Rhondda Cynon Taf.
The government said people will not be allowed to enter or leave the Rhondda Cynon Taf Council area without a reasonable excuse.
Enforcement of the new restrictions will be undertaken by the local authority and by the police.
