US tops 5 million confirmed virus cases, to Europes alarm

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ROME  With confirmed coronavirus cases in the U. S.  hitting 5 million Sunday, by far the highest of any country, the failure of the most powerful nation in the world to contain the scourge has been met with astonishment and alarm in Europe. Perhaps nowhere outside the U. S.  is Americas bungled virus response viewed with more consternation than in Italy, which was ground zero of Europes epidemic.  Italians were unprepared when the outbreak exploded in February, and the country still has one of the worlds highest official death tolls at over 35,000. But after a strict nationwide, 10-week lockdown, vigilant tracing of new clusters and general acceptance of mask mandates and social distancing, Italy has become a model of virus containment. Dont they care about their health? a mask-clad Patrizia Antonini asked about people in the United States as she walked with friends along the banks of Lake Bracciano, north of Rome.  They need to take our precautions.   They need a real lockdown. Much of the incredulity in Europe stems from the fact that America had the benefit of time, European experience and medical know-how to treat the virus that the continent itself didnt have when the first COVID-19 patients started filling intensive care units. More than four months into a sustained outbreak, the U. S.  reached the 5 million mark, according to the running count kept by Johns Hopkins University.  Health officials believe the actual number is perhaps 10 times higher, or closer to 50 million, given testing limitations and the fact that as many as 40% of all those who are infected have no symptoms. We Italians always saw America as a model, said Massimo Franco, a columnist with daily Corriere della Sera.  But with this virus weve discovered a country that is very fragile, with bad infrastructure and a public health system that is nonexistent. With Americas worlds-highest death toll of more than 160,000, its politicized