The wave of mass protests against racism and police violence has not resulted in a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., media reported, citing preliminary studies.
In Minnesota, which is the epicentre of the protests, 1.8 per cent of 3,200 protesters, who tested for COVID-19 at community sites, turned out to be infected with the coronavirus, The Wall Street Journal reported on late Thursday.
Some 8,500 other Minnesota protesters tested through their health-care providers or at other sites, and only 0.99 per cent of them were diagnosed with COVID-19.
Within the past seven days, the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests in New York has remained below 3 per cent, with the number of hospitalised patients continuing to decrease.
The authorities of Seattle and Chicago have also said that no major outbreaks of the coronavirus disease have been registered so far.
Nationwide protests against racism and police violence were originally sparked after George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, died in Minneapolis on May 25, after a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.
