As summer inches closer, the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent weeks, despite some speculation that the virus has been leveling out, infection rates have in fact been climbing in major worldwide hotspots like the U.S. and Brazil.

From Monday to Wednesday, the daily rate for new cases rose each day. After hitting an eight-week low on May 28 with only 20,600 new cases, that three-day period averaged 21,763 new cases per day, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

Since the novel coronavirus has an incubation period of roughly 5-12 days, this spike in cases is unlikely to be tied to anything currently happening in the U.S. The more likely possibility is that these cases stem from Americans failing to practice social distancing during the Memorial Day weekend, which saw numerous venues flooded with patrons eager to celebrate.

One pool party near Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri even went viral due to the number of people packed into a small space during the ongoing pandemic. According to one guest in attendance, the venue claimed to encourage social distancing, despite evidence to the contrary, in addition to checking temperatures and offering hand sanitizer.

Johns Hopkins University’s database showed that by Sunday, the U.S. had reached over 1.9 million confirmed cases and over 109,000 confirmed deaths.

In Brazil, one of the most recent coronavirus hotspots, the country’s death toll on Thursday officially passed Italy, which had previously been among the hardest-hit areas in the world. As of Sunday afternoon, the country had become the second-most infected in the world, behind the U.S., with nearly 615,000 confirmed cases and over 34,000 deaths.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro notably dismissed the danger of the growing pandemic earlier in 2020, in a similar fashion to Donald Trump and Boris Johnson. Also similarly to Trump, Bolsonaro at one point assured citizens that the untested hydroxychloroquine could be an effective treatment for COVID-19, despite numerous reports of its harmful effects.

More than 42 million people have been laid off since the coronavirus lockdowns began in the United States, and the May unemployment rate is set to rise even further
More than 42 million people have been laid off since the coronavirus lockdowns began in the United States, and the May unemployment rate is set to rise even further GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / STEPHANIE KEITH
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