USA TODAY International Edition
Almost half of country reports leap in cases
States include Fla., Texas, Ariz. and Okla., host of Trump rally
Nearly half of the states in the USA report a spike in new coronavirus cases, causing concern among health officials as the majority of the country implements phased reopenings.
Oklahoma is one of 22 states with an increase in daily caseloads as officials debate safety measures for President Donald Trump’s campaign rally Saturday in Tulsa. Florida, Texas and Arizona have seen the sharpest spike.
Florida had another record day Tuesday with 2,783 additional confirmed cases of coronavirus, the largest single
day increase, pushing the state’s cumulative count past 80,000.
An additional 55 deaths brought the number of fatalities from COVID- 19 to 2,993, the state Health Department reported.
Florida has been on a two- week upswing in cases that corresponds with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ expanded economic reopening of the state and an increase in the daily number of tests conducted for the virus.
The state has administered almost 1.5 million tests, about 5.5% of which proved positive for coronavirus. Though that positivity level began to decline during May, it has ticked slightly upward most days since DeSantis pushed the state further open June 5, except in South Florida counties where the disease has been most prevalent.
Florida has had 15 straight days of an additional 1,000- plus daily cases, with an unprecedented more than 2,000 daily cases reported Saturday and Sunday before the latest record.
Though public health officials attributed the rise in cases at least partially to the social interactions allowed in many states, DeSantis cited more clustered outbreaks as a driver in his state.
Texas saw 3,358 new COVID- 19 cases Tuesday, a record high.
Gov. Greg Abbott aimed to put the increase in perspective, attributing the numbers to certain counties reporting large batches of tests all at once, particularly from prisons and assisted living centers, which can skew statewide numbers. He gave no indication the increase in cases and hospitalizations would slow the pace of reopening the state’s economy.
Roughly 2,500 COVID- 19 patients were hospitalized in Texas on Tuesday, the fifth day in a row the state has seen a record number of hospitalizations.
Despite the state’s sharp increase in hospitalizations from a month earlier, Abbott said there are 14,993 treatment beds available statewide, so “that’s really a very small percentage of all the beds that are available.”
Texas Democrats accused the Republican governor of mismanaging the pandemic response. “This is a direct result of Gov. Abbott’s weak and reckless leadership,” state party spokesman Abhi Rahman said.
Most businesses in the state are allowed to operate at 50% capacity – 75% for restaurants – but bars were crowded in Austin, and multiple parks were closed over Memorial Day weekend because of overcrowding.
Arizona reported a record- high 2,341 new COVID- 19 cases Tuesday, marking the first time the state has reported more than 2,000 new cases in a single day, according to state data.
Inpatient beds for people with suspected and confirmed COVID- 19 hit a record number Monday: 1,506 inpatients, according to hospital data reported to the state and posted on its website Tuesday.
ICU beds in use, ventilators in use and emergency department visits for COVID- 19 all reached record levels Monday as well.
In a briefing last week, Gov. Doug Ducey focused on hospital capacity, saying that although positive COVID- 19 cases have been increasing, Arizona’s hospitals are prepared to handle more patients.
Ducey blamed “misinformation” about hospitals, which he said are doing fine.
Days before Trump’s election rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma has experienced a spike in coronavirus cases – 186 reported Monday.
The rally will be held at the BOK Center, an indoor venue that holds about 19,000 people.
In Washington, Trump said the convention hall near the BOK Center would be used for overflow and it can hold 40,000 people.
The Trump campaign announced this week that masks and hand sanitizer would be distributed to those attending, and their temperatures will be checked. It will not be mandatory to wear masks.
Oklahoma Health Commissioner Lance Frye advised people to get tested before and after the rally scheduled for Saturday evening and to take the usual steps to stay safe, including wearing face coverings and minimizing social interactions.
Other states with rising cases
● Alabama: Coronavirus cases have spiked since early June. The seven- day average of cases has more than doubled over 10 days. On June 5, the daily average was 292; on Monday, it was 758.
● Alaska: The state reported 29 confirmed coronavirus cases Saturday, the highest number of new cases recorded by the state since it began reporting daily cases in March.
● Arkansas: As of Monday afternoon, there were 13,191 confirmed COVID- 19 cases, according to the Department of Health.
● California: Though gyms, bars, movie theaters and other establishments received the green light to reopen their doors, data showed Friday that in 90% of the state’s counties, the outbreak is speeding up.
● Georgia: Figures posted Tuesday show an average of 777 infections reported over the past 14 days, the highest level since April. The number of infected people in a hospital has been rising for the past 10 days, reaching 875 Tuesday.
● Hawaii: As of Tuesday, 740 people have tested positive for coronavirus and 17 people have died, according to Hawaii’s Department of Health.
● Idaho: Health officials reported more than 3,500 confirmed coronavirus cases in at least 35 out of 44 counties; 78 new cases were reported Tuesday.
● Kentucky: Mass testing for the coronavirus is underway at a women’s prison after at least 14 people contracted the virus, Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration said Monday.
● Louisiana: Superdome officials said positive COVID- 19 tests have come back for 32 workers contracted to perform stadium renovations, according to a statement released by the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District on Tuesday.
● Missouri: The St. Louis Post- Dispatch reported the share of cases coming from rural areas accounts for about 30% of the state’s new cases, a greater portion than ever before.
● Montana: Five new cases of COVID- 19 were reported Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 614. The state has performed 63,577 tests.
● Nevada: The state reported its single highest increase in new COVID- 19 cases Tuesday, adding 379 cases to the state’s tally. The previous record singleday jump was 295 new cases May 22.
● North Carolina: State officials reported another record number of virusrelated hospitalizations Tuesday: 829. The number of positive cases exceed 45,850, and there have been more than 1,150 deaths since the pandemic began.
● Oregon: A church in the rural northeastern part of the state is the focus of Oregon’s largest coronavirus outbreak: 236 people tested positive for the disease, authorities said Tuesday.
● South Carolina: The Department of Health and Environmental Control reported on Tuesday 595 new coronavirus cases and five additional deaths.
● Utah: There were four deaths and 295 new cases reported Monday. The state has counted more than 14,600 cases and more than 1,000 hospitalizations.
● Virginia: The Department of Health reported 445 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 55,331 cases. There were 5,643 hospitalizations and 1,570 deaths, up 18 from Monday.
● Wyoming: Gov. Mark Gordon said the state has 237 active cases.