Live updates: U.S. reports 1,400 coronavirus deaths in a day — about one per minute

NOTE: This article is provided free to read by The Washington Post.

The U.S. economy contracted by 9.5 percent in the second quarter — a record decline and the latest sobering reflection of the pandemic’s economic devastation. Economists say the data should serve as a cautionary tale for what’s at stake if America’s recovery slips away, especially as major outbreaks in some parts of the country have forced businesses to close once again.

New infections appear to have peaked across the United States, but hospitalizations continue to rise, and the death toll is soaring. More than 1,400 coronavirus-related deaths were reported nationwide Wednesday — roughly one fatality for every minute of the day, and the worst day for covid-19 deaths in more than two months. Arizona, Florida and Mississippi on Thursday already reported record-high new deaths in one day, as the day’s data begins to come in.

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