Story at a glance
- Florida was among the first states to start reopening businesses in May.
- The number of new coronavirus cases are increasing, suggesting this may be a new wave.
- Thirteen other states have seen their highest seven-day average of new cases.
The past week has seen a ramping up of new coronavirus cases in Florida, a state that started reopening in May. From June 3-10 in Florida, there have been more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases per day for seven out of eight days, according to data compiled by The New York Times. The daily case count for June 4 was the highest they have been since the Florida health department started providing updates in March.
Florida entered phase one of reopening the economy on May 18, which meant restaurants and retail could operate at 50 percent capacity. The state entered phase two of reopening the economy on June 5.
Testing has ramped up in Florida, but the percent of people testing positive is at 4.3 percent and increasing, according to data at COVID Exit Strategy as of the writing of this article.
Elsewhere, a total of 14 states and Puerto Rico have seen their highest seven-day average of new coronavirus cases, according to The Washington Post. These include Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
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Although COVID-19 cases are trending downward in many states like New York, officials will have to wait a few weeks to see the full impact of the change in weather, reopening strategies as well as large gatherings for protesting in support of Black Lives Matter. Because of the lag time from exposure to new cases being reported, states are seeing increased case counts a few weeks after policy changes or other changes.
With Florida nearly one week into phase two, depending on how individual behaviors have changed they may see additional increases in coronavirus cases.
“We’re going to continue to see increases in cases as people continue to not follow the standard things that we have to follow to avoid transmitting the virus,” infectious disease specialist Aileen Marty at Florida International University told Local 10 Sunday, according to the Miami Herald. People are becoming more careless about social distancing measures as the state reopens.
Meanwhile, the White House coronavirus task force has not held a briefing for more than a month. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that more people in the 18-to-44-year-old bracket have had COVID-19 than any other age group.
Although states are opening up, this is no reason to think that the country is in the clear. People should follow public health guidelines and wear a mask when they cannot maintain physical distance from others. It is getting warmer out there, but this is not the time to let down your guard.
For up-to-date information about COVID-19, check the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. For updated global case counts, check this page maintained by Johns Hopkins University.
You can follow Chia-Yi Hou on Twitter.
BREAKING NEWS ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
WHO: THERE’S NO EVIDENCE WEARING A MASK WILL PROTECT YOU FROM CORONAVIRUS
FAUCI PREDICTS ANOTHER CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN THE FALL WITH A ‘VERY DIFFERENT’ OUTCOME
MICHIGAN BARBER WHO DISOBEYED STAY-AT-HOME RESTRICTIONS ORDERED TO CLOSE SHOP
TEXAS REPORTS SINGLE-DAY HIGH IN CORONAVIRUS DEATHS TWO WEEKS AFTER REOPENING
Published on Jun 11,2020