The United States is coming close to have five million coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, the highest number of cases in the world. It may be because some people haven't been taking the health precautions seriously.

The U.S. has also set a record high of 155,000 COVID-19 deaths, the most of any country. Public health experts have seen the problem is from confusing and inconsistent guidance from politicians and the different COVID-19 approaches per state in containing the virus. It led to people refusing to wear face masks and maintaining social distancing.

According to the Associated Press, most people in the U.S. think the health precautions are simply overreactions and move to block their freedom. With the running 60,000 cases per day the U.S. is having per day, it is only a matter of time that the now 4.7 million cases reach five million.

The new daily record may be lower than one in July at over 70,000, and surges are happening in about 26 states, many in the South and West. The COVID-19 deaths are also climbing in 35 states. 

Social Gatherings Fuel COVID-19 Spread in the U.S.

Dr. Cindy Prins, an epidemiologist at the University of Florida, said the U.S. is at a point where there's enough spread of the virus that people have a higher chance of encountering it and getting exposed.

Prins knows that people are facing a "behavioral disease." She said people struggle in changing behavior in light of the pandemic. "We're social creatures," she noted.

Dr. Demetria Lindsay from the Virginia Department of Health said there had been a spike among people in their 20s. Just like what other health experts said, she also pointed to gatherings where people do not wear masks or keep a safe distance with others.

One of the people who do not take the health precautions seriously is 21-year-old Veronica Fritz. She said that if she does get COVID-19 and die from it, it's not her decision, citing religious beliefs.

Choosing to leave one's health to the hands of fate may be okay for some, but it also puts at risk other people who do not share this belief. They may infect more people before they feel sick.

COVID-19 Affected Generations of Children

The NBC News said putting others at risk and spreading the virus to more people could lead to a "generational catastrophe" because many schools have been closed, as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

On Tuesday, the U.N. chief said the pandemic had caused a large disruption of education, and many children will miss out on education in their critical first years of learning. Gutteres said this could lead to a "waste [of] untold human potential."

He said the top priority right now should be putting children back to a safe school environment where they can learn the most. 

Trump Backs COVID-19 Approaches

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said the administration is seeing good progress in response to the pandemic. He reiterated that there had been an increase in telehealth access in rural areas, and there are many critical trials for COVID-19 treatments that is a good sign for the country.

The WUSA9 said that while the coronavirus relief bill is still stalled after days of negotiation, there is an urgency surrounding it. It is most especially true for Senate Republicans, some of whom face tough election races.

Many of them are eager to have the bill done before heading to their home states to campaign this month.

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