Virus surge fuels fears about progress
In Arizona, 1 in 5 of those tested infected
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Alarming surges in coronavirus cases across the South and West raised fears Monday that the outbreak is spiraling out of control and that hard-won progress against the scourge is slipping away because of resistance among many Americans to wearing masks and keeping their distance from others.
Cases surpassed 100,000 in Florida, hospitalizations are rising dramatically in Houston and Georgia, and 1 in 5 of those tested in Arizona are proving to be infected.
“It is snowballing. We will most certainly see more people die as a result of this spike,” said Dr. Marc Boom, CEO and president of Houston Methodist Hospital, noting that the number of COVID-19 hospital admissions has tripled since Memorial Day to more than 1,400 across eight hospital systems in the Houston metropolitan area.
He warned that hospitals could be overwhelmed in three weeks, and he pleaded with people to cover their faces and practice social distancing.
Texas is among a number of states — including Arizona, Alabama, Florida and South Carolina — whose governors have resisted statewide mask requirements, leaving the matter to local authorities.
In Georgia, the number of people hospitalized because of COVID-19 rose to 1,000, erasing a month’s worth of progress.
Infections are at their highest level since the outbreak hit, nearly two months after Georgia began lifting restrictions on businesses. Gov. Brian Kemp has required face coverings by waiters, barbers and others working face to face with customers but has largely let businesses decide whether customers must wear masks.
In Louisiana, however, Gov. John Bel Edwards extended restrictions on businesses because of an uptick in cases, following the example set by Utah and Oregon last week. Louisiana has recorded more than 3,000 deaths.
“There are a lot of people out there saying they are done with this virus.
Well, the virus isn’t done with us,” Edwards said.
In other developments:
New York City, once the most lethal hot spot in the U.S., lifted more of its restrictions, moving a big step closer to normal. Restaurants can serve diners outdoors, customers can browse through stores and get a haircut, and children can return to playgrounds.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom implored people Monday to wear face coverings to protect against the coronavirus and allow businesses to safely open after several days in which the state saw its highest virus hospitalizations and number of infections to date.
Blacks were nearly four times more likely than whites to be hospitalized with COVID-19 among people with Medicare, the government said Monday. The analysis from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also found that having advanced kidney disease was an even more severe risk indicator for hospitalization than race, ethnicity or being poor.
There will be no hot air balloons lifting off this fall as part of an international event that draws hundreds of thousands of spectators and ballooning teams from around the world to the heart of New Mexico. This would have marked the 49th year for the event, a colorful spectacle that infuses millions of dollars into the economy.