Coronavirus cases are “surging” according to public health experts and on Wednesday, the United States set a record for the highest single-day total of new diagnoses of the virus since the pandemic began back in March.
“Across the United States,” the Washington Post reported Thursday, “38,115 new infections were reported by state health departments on Wednesday — surpassing the previous single-day record of 34,203 set on April 25.”
Three of the country’s most populous states are responsible for the vast majority of new infections. California, Texas, and Florida are all experiencing virus “surges” and the number of cases in each of those states is steadily increasing, in some cases faster than during the first wave of COVID-19 infections.
“Florida and Texas announced Wednesday that they’d recorded more than 5,000 new Covid-19 cases the prior day, a new daily record. California reported more than 7,000 cases, obliterating a record hit a day earlier,” CNN reports. “Florida passed 5,000 again on Thursday, according to new state data.”
“If the current Texas trajectory continues, Houston could be the hardest-hit city in the US with numbers rivaling those in Brazil. Infection numbers are also rising in Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio,” experts told the network Thursday.
Maryland and Virginia, which both experienced steep declines in coronavirus diagnoses are now experiencing “plateaus,” according to the Washington Post, and NPR health reports that most midwestern states, save for Illinois, are experiencing slow gains in virus numbers that many fear could become second viral “peaks.”
None of the three primary states experiencing a second wave, though, have announced that they are reinstituting lockdown measures, though Florida now says it could be moving “backward” to an earlier phase of re-opening. Other states say they may be “slowing” how quickly they move through re-opening phases.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott reactivated an earlier prohibition against elective surgeries and other medical procedures as a way of ensuring that the state has enough intensive care unit (ICU) beds in case the sudden spike in virus cases results in the state’s second wave of hospitalizations.
“Several factors contribute to the rise in cases,” according to health experts who spoke to CNN, including “private gatherings” held for Memorial Day, as well as gatherings at bars and restaurants.
Although officials were reluctant to say that mass anti-racism protests, held following the death of George Floyd, a black man who perished while in police custody in Minneapolis, could have contributed to the virus’ spread, most states, including California, say the new infections are largely among “young people” rather than the older individuals who were hit hardest in the first wave of COVID-19.
“We’re now seeing what is really happening, which is those 18- to 44-year-olds are being affected at a really high rate. Their social networks, their employment, is allowing them to mix at a higher rate, and we’re seeing the infection rate — especially in Texas, Florida, and Arizona — just skyrocketing in that demographic,” experts told the network.
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