Dr Birx urges regions with rising infections to close bars, cut back on indoor dining and to mandate face masks
- COVID-19 infections are now spiking, based on a seven-day average, in more than a dozen states, including Oklahoma, Missouri and Mississippi
- The number of cases in the current hard hit states of Texas, California, Arizona and Florida are now showing signs of plateauing, health officials say
- Dr Deborah Birx, head of the White House taskforce, said the new surge is a sign that the virus is now spreading North
- The states with rising cases should be closing bars, cutting back on indoor restaurant capacity and limiting social gatherings to 10 people, Dr Birx warned
- She also said all Americans should be wearing masks when out in public or around other people
- Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says the leveling off of cases in the hotspot states is because people are social distancing and wearing masks
- He warned, however, that the United States wasn’t ‘out of the woods yet’ with the pandemic
- Florida on Sunday became the second state after California to overtake New York, the original epicenter of the US outbreak
- There has now been more than 4.2 million infections recorded across the United States and nearly 147,000 Americans have died from COVID-19
New COVID-19 cases have hitting record highs in more than a dozen states while Texas, Florida, Arizona and California show signs of a plateau – as Dr Deborah Birx urged regions with rising infections to close bars, cut back on indoor dining and to mandate face masks.
There has now been more than 4.2 million infections recorded across the United States and nearly 147,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.
The number of cases in the current hard hit states of Texas, California, Arizona and Florida are now showing signs of plateauing after a month of record surges, according to Dr Birx. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says the leveling off of cases in the hotspot states is because people are social distancing and wearing masks but warned the US wasn’t ‘out of the woods yet’. As cases appear to plateau in those hard hit states, the number of infections are now spiking, based on a seven-day average, in more than a dozen states, including Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii and Wyoming. Nevada, Texas and South Carolina have seen record highs in the number of deaths based on a seven-day average. Dr Birx, who is the head of the White House COVID-19 taskforce, said the surge in cases that has plagued Sunbelt states since Memorial Day is now being seen elsewhere, which is a sign that the virus is now spreading North.
MISSOURI: There are currently 41,927 cases in Missouri and 1,197 deaths. Cases have been steadily increasing across the state since mid-June but deaths have not yet spiked
MISSISSIPPI: Cases have been rising steadily in Mississippi with the state now having 52,304 cases. There have been 1,495 deaths and the fatality rate is now showing signs of an uptick
OKLAHOMA: Oklahoma currently has 31,285 cases and 496 deaths. Both cases and deaths have been surging this month.
In Missouri, infections surged to record daily highs on Saturday with 1,652 new cases. Infections across the state, which now has 41,927 cases, have been on an upward trajectory since late June.
Mississippi’s cases have been spiking to near record highs in recent days with 1,610 infections reported on Friday, down from the record 1,904 on July 4. Infections have surged this month with the total now at 52,304.
Meanwhile, the number of new infections in Florida, Arizona and Texas now appear to be trending downwards for the first time since late May or early June.
Deaths, however, are still rising in both Florida and Texas. While deaths have seen single daily highs in Arizona in the past week, average fatalities appear to show a leveling out.
Despite the downward trajectory, Florida on Sunday became the second state after California to overtake New York, the original epicenter of the US outbreak.
WISCONSIN: Cases in Wisconsin surged to a single-day high of 1,161 on July 21. Cases across the state, which now total 52,680, have been trending upwards since mid-June. There has also been an uptick of deaths in the state with the death toll now at 899
NEW MEXICO: New Mexico had a record 335 cases on Friday with the state’s total now at 18,788. Deaths are also on a slight upward trend with the death toll now at 607
LOUISIANA: New cases surge in the southern state to record high of 3,840 on Sunday, bringing the state’s total to 107,574. Cases have been trending upwards since late June. Deaths started trending upwards last week after initially declining in May
After New York, Texas has the most total coronavirus cases at 391,000. Arizona has 162,014 coronavirus cases. Dr Birx, who is the head of the White House COVID-19 taskforce, said the surge in cases that has plagued Sunbelt states since Memorial Day is now being seen elsewhere, which is a sign that the virus is now spreading North Still, New York has recorded the most deaths of any US state at more than 32,000 with Florida in eighth place with nearly 6,000 deaths.
On average, Florida has added more than 10,000 cases a day in July while California has been adding 8,300 cases a day and New York has been adding 700 cases. Dr Birx said last week that there were signs cases in Florida, Texas, Arizona and California were now plateauing. ‘We’re already starting to see some plateauing in these critically four states that have really suffered under the last four weeks,’ Birx told NBC’s Today. ‘This first wave that we see now across Florida, Texas, California and Arizona began with under 30 years olds – many of those who were asymptomatic.
‘It’s very serious and it’s very real.’
She also warned last week that 11 major cities needed to take ‘aggressive’ steps to mitigate COVID-19 outbreaks. The 11 cities she mentioned include: Baltimore, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and St Louis.
‘Until you can see that explosion, it’s hard for people to understand how deeply you have to clamp down,’ Dr Birx said.
‘That’s why we called out the next set of cities where we see early-warning signs, because if you make changes now, you won’t become a Phoenix.’