Coronavirus patients are pouring into hospitals in hot spots such as Florida, Arizona, California and Texas, and virus hospitalizations are setting records almost daily in those states. The influx is straining intensive care units, which are expanding to add new beds and installing special airflow systems to reduce the spread within the hospitals.
But as the pandemic rages in new epicenters in the United States, the Trump administration is increasingly sidelining its own health experts in pivotal decisions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is coming under intense pressure from President Trump and his allies, who are downplaying the dangers in a bid to revive the economy ahead of the Nov. 3 election.