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WASHINGTON, June 25-- New COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising at alarming rates in the United States recently, and several states have reported record daily spikes in confirmed cases. Increasing gatherings and lack of social distancing amid reopenings nationwide have led to the deterioration of the pandemic in the United States, a leading epidemiologist told Xinhua on Thursday. All 50 states have begun to reopen after the coronavirus thrust the country into lockdown starting in March. Mass gatherings are now on a rise, and increasing numbers of people, especially the young population, tend not to keep social distances, said Zhang Zuofeng, a professor of epidemiology and associate dean for research with the school of public health at University of California, Los Angeles. "Meanwhile, some Americans remain highly resistant to wearing masks in public areas, thus they cannot well protect themselves and people around them. This is another important factor leading to the record-high daily increases," Zhang told Xinhua. Nationwide, more than 2.4 million people have been infected with the novel coronavirus, and over 122,000 have died as of Thursday afternoon, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The United States reported on Wednesday its largest one-day total since the start of the pandemic: 36,880 new cases, more than two months after the previous high, according to The New York Times. | 
