As Dr. Fauci this week made clear, the United States is still very much in the first wave of this pandemic. And now, as a result of the Trump administration’s incompetence and failure to take the virus seriously, many states are now facing a deepening crisis – with caseloads and hospitalizations higher than ever before.
But rather than listen to the experts – many of whom are pleading with the administration to take the threat seriously – President Trump has instead adopted his own version of reality: he falsely claims the virus is under control, and flouts guidance in his charge to host super-spreader rallies.
Cases Surge Across States, Bringing Many Back to Square One
National
CNN: 10 States Are Seeing Their Highest Average Of Daily New Covid-19 Cases Since The Pandemic Started
Healthline: The Consequences of Reopening Are Here: COVID-19 Cases on the Rise
- “COVID-19 cases are surging in many of the states that were first to attempt reopening their economies and society. New data suggests the consequences of early reopening attempts are here, and that early reopening has resulted in what experts had said it would result in: a new uptick in cases. The effects could include as many as 18 percent more deaths than were previously projected.” [Healthline, 6/17/20]
Forbes: Texas And Arizona Keep Setting Coronavirus Hospitalization Records
WRDW: States’ Reopening Adds Heavy Weight To Rise In COVID-19 Cases
In Most Of The States Where Cases Are Rising, Hospitalizations Are At Rising Or At Record Highs.
- “In most of the states where cases are spiking, COVID-19 hospitalizations are also rising or at record highs. Unlike increases in new infections, rising hospitalizations cannot simply be attributed to greater testing.” [Reuters, 6/17/20]
Almost 80,000 Health Care Workers Have Tested Positive For COVID-19, And At Least Than 939 Have Died.
- “At least 78,609 healthcare workers have tested positive for COVID-19, and more than 422 have died, according to the CDC, which acknowledges that this is likely a significant undercount. National Nurses United has recorded 939 healthcare worker deaths, based on reports from its chapters around the U.S., social media and obituaries, as reported by The Washington Post. Nurses account for about 15 percent of those deaths, according to the union. The losses can deeply affect colleagues, leaving some workers with a growing sense of powerlessness, the Post noted.” [Becker’s Hospital Review, 6/18/20]
Alabama
The Hill: Alabama Counties See Rising Coronavirus Case Counts, Hospitalizations
Bloomberg: Rural Alabama County Fights Virus Outbreak With Just One Doctor
- “Lowndes now has an infection rate that rivals the most infected zip code in New York City at its pandemic peak. By last week, more than a third of the tests in Lowndes had come back positive… In recent weeks, patients from Lowndes and overwhelmed hospitals in nearby Selma and Greenville swamped Montgomery’s Jackson Hospital, a two-block compound licensed for 344 beds that functions as a kind of safety valve for rural counties with little hospital capacity. Jackson had only one intensive care bed at one point, and some patients had to be moved an hour north to Birmingham. On Tuesday night, pulmonologist William Saliski told the Montgomery City Council that Jackson Hospital had as many as 240 Covid patients, with about half on ventilators — and 90% of those Black. ‘This is beyond an epidemic in this area,’ he said, pleading unsuccessfully for a mask mandate.” [Bloomberg, 6/17/20]
On June 16, Alabama Recorded The Most Covid-19 Patients Hospitalized And Had The Fewest Available ICU Beds Since The Pandemic Began.
- “Tuscaloosa, Ala., had one intensive care bed available June 16 as record high COVID-19 hospitalizations plague the state, reports the Alabama Political Reporter. On June 16, Alabama recorded the most COVID-19 patients hospitalized and had the fewest available intensive care unit beds since the pandemic began. Of the 1,600 ICU beds in the state, just 268 were available.” [Becker’s Hospital Review, 6/18/20]
Alabama Local News: Testing Clinic Reports Jump In Positive Rates For Coronavirus In Huntsville
WAAY: North Alabama Clinic Says 14% Of Patients Tested Positive For Coronavirus Last Week
- “A north Alabama health care clinic is sounding the alarm on the rising number of coronavirus cases. Thrive Alabama told WAAY 31 it saw a major jump in positive tests. The organization said last week the percentage of tests that came back positive jumped from 3% to 14%… Mark Moore with Thrive Alabama said since the state started to reopen more than a month ago, last week was the biggest jump they’ve seen in positive cases since March. ‘It’s not that more people are tested, it’s that more people are infected and we are seeing that increase,’ he said. ‘Jumping from 3% to 14% is huge and we just need people to recognize that it’s out there and it’s still prevalent,’ Moore added.” [WAAY, 6/17/20]
ABC 33/40: Top Doc: If Alabama Doesn’t Start Taking Virus Seriously We Could Be Back To Square One
Arizona
Bloomberg: Doctors Fear Arizona Virus Overload as Hospital Cases Top N.Y.
- “In Arizona, where coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are rising to the alarm of experts, hospitals still face a critical limitation: staff. Arizona reported its highest number of hospitalized Covid-19 patients, 1,582 on Tuesday, a count that for the first time exceeds New York.” [Bloomberg, 6/17/20]
As Of June 17, 83% Of ICU Beds Are Occupied In Arizona.
- “In Arizona, 83% of intensive care beds are occupied, a record high, according to a state website here The outbreak has alarmed the hard-hit Navajo Nation. The Navajo reservation – overlapping parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico – reinstated a weekend-long curfew that closes even essential businesses like grocery stores and gas stations.” [Reuters, 6/17/20]
KTAR: Arizona Reports Single-Day High Of 2,519 New Coronavirus Cases
Arizona Republic: Gila River Casinos Temporarily Close Again After Employee Death, Arizona’s Rising COVID-19 Cases
Arkansas
Associated Press: Arkansas Virus Deaths, Hospitalizations Continue Rising
Active Cases In Arkansas Have Risen 160% Since Memorial Day.
- “Arkansas has seen a dramatic resurgence of the virus since last month, when it began allowing businesses that had closed because of the pandemic to reopen. The number of active cases has risen 160% since Memorial Day, while hospitalizations have more than doubled.” [Associated Press, 6/17/20]
California
Los Angeles Times: [Orange County] Officials Monitoring Increase In ICU Hospitalizations From Coronavirus
San Francisco Chronicle: Virus Cases Spike As Contra Costa County Reopens
Florida
CNN: Coronavirus Cases Are Spiking Across The Country And Experts Say Florida Has The Makings Of The Next Epicenter
- “The potential for the virus to take off there is very, very nerve-racking and could have catastrophic consequences” because of the state’s aging population and the prevalence of nursing homes and retirement communities, Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the division of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told CNN on Thursday.” [CNN, 6/18/20]
On June 18, Florida Reported Its Highest Single-Day Count Of New Cases Since The Pandemic Began.
- “Florida reported 3,207 additional coronavirus cases on Thursday — the largest single day count in the state since the pandemic, according to Florida Department of Health. Florida’s total reported cases climbed to nearly 86,000, according to data released by the state… More than three quarters of Florida’s adult intensive care unit beds are occupied, according to data from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. General hospital beds were at nearly 75% capacity across the state.” [CNN, 6/18/20]
Georgia
CBS 46 Atlanta: Coronavirus Cases Steadily Rise As Businesses Reopen
- “As more companies open up and the state continues to lift COVID-19 restrictions, there has been an increase in the number of coronavirus cases. According to the most resent Georgia Department of Public Health report, there are currently 60,000 cases state, just about 9,500 people are being hospitalized and about 2,600 have died from the virus. The number of cases increasing by almost 1,000 in 24 hours.” [CBS 46 Atlanta, 6/17/20]
WABE: Gwinnett County Now Has Highest Number Of COVID-19 Cases In Georgia
- “As of Wednesday, Gwinnett County had 5,658 cases of COVID-19, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. That’s the highest per county total in the state, and data shows Gwinnett has not yet reached its peak in daily COVID-19 cases.” [WABE, 6/17/20]
Mississippi
Biloxi Sun Herald: Mississippi Has Second-Highest Covid-19 Increase With 489 New Cases, 23 Deaths
- “Today also was the second-highest number of new cases statewide since the pandemic began, with an increase of 489 COVID-19 cases, second only to the 498 cases reported June 8. Mississippi has a total of 20,641 cases and 938 deaths. ” [Biloxi Sun Herald, 6/17/20]
Associated Press: Mississippi Sees Jump In Virus After Lifting Restrictions
North Carolina
Charlotte Observer: COVID-19 Spreads In Charlotte Region: ‘Steep Climb’ In Cases, Concern Over Younger Deaths
WTVD: UNC, Duke Hospitals See Increase In Covid-19 In-Patients
Oklahoma
CNN: Oklahoma Coronavirus Cases Rise As Trump Rally Moves Forward
As Of June 17, New Cases In Oklahoma Have Increased 110% From The Previous Seven-Day Period, With Tulsa County Having The Most Cases In The State.
- “Coronavirus cases are rising in Oklahoma as President Donald Trump forges ahead to host a rally in Tulsa on Saturday that is expected to be attended by thousands. Oklahoma is seeing a steady increase in its average of new confirmed cases per day. According to a CNN analysis of Johns Hopkins University data, Oklahoma averaged about 203 new cases per day over the week ending June 17, which is up approximately 110% from the previous seven-day period. As of Thursday morning, Tulsa County currently has the most cases — 1,825 total — of any county in the state, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. New cases in Tulsa County have also been climbing, and the county is now seeing its highest seven-day average for new cases at 73.9, according to the Tulsa Health Department.” [CNN, 6/18/20]
Reuters: COVID-19 Cases Surge In Oklahoma, Other States Ahead Of Trump’s Tulsa Rally
South Carolina
In Less Than A Month, The Number Of Coronavirus Cases In South Carolina Has Doubled.
- “South Carolina surpassed 20,000 coronavirus cases Wednesday after Department of Health and Environmental Control officials announced that 577 more people have contracted the virus… South Carolina surpassed 10,000 coronavirus cases on May 24. In less than a month, the number of cases doubled.” [The State, 6/17/20]
WYFF: Greenville County Reports Second-Most New Coronavirus Cases As Daily S.C. Cases, Deaths Continue To Rise
Tennessee
Vanderbilt University Researchers: Tennessee Has Reached Its Highest Level Of Hospitalizations Since The Beginning Of The Pandemic.
- “Vanderbilt University researchers say the number of COVID-19 patients in Tennessee hospitals has reached its highest level at more than 400, but the increase has not put acute strain on the state’s hospital system.” [Associated Press, 6/17/20]
Associated Press: COVID-19 Hospitalizations In Tennessee Reach Highest Level
WMOT: Tennessee’s Running Average Of New COVID-19 Cases Now Above 700
Texas
On June 18, Texas Marked Its Seventh Consecutive Day Of Record Coronavirus Hospitalizations
- “Thursday marked the seventh consecutive day that Texas reported a record number of hospitalized coronavirus patients, with 2,947 people currently in hospitals being treated for COVID-19, according to data released Thursday by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The latest seven-day average for the number of people hospitalized is 2,468. Since the beginning of June, hospitalizations have increased almost every day. There’s almost twice as many people hospitalized because of the coronavirus than there was on Memorial Day.” [Texas Tribune, 6/18/20]
Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Texas Coronavirus Cases Surging As More Than 7,000 Are Reported In Past Two Days
- “Texas coronavirus cases are surging and the past two days have seen the largest two-day increase in new cases since the pandemic began in March… The Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting 4,098 cases on Tuesday and 3,129 on Wednesday. The previous high for new cases was 2,504 on June 10.” [Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6/17/20]
CNBC: Texas Coronavirus Hospitalizations Surge 11% In A Single Day
Utah
Salt Lake Tribune: Risk Of Covid-19 Exposure ‘Higher Than Ever,’ As Utah Reports 407 New Cases And Four Deaths
- “Utah had the third largest one-day increase in COVID-19 cases Wednesday, with another 407 Utahns confirmed to have contracted the virus — and another four Utahns dying from it, the Utah Department of Health announced Wednesday… Utah has confirmed more than 200 cases per day for the last 21 days; before that streak, the state had topped 200 a day just once since the pandemic began.” [Salt Lake Tribune, 6/17/20]
Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands: Local Officials Issue Mask Guidance In Defiance of Trump Administration
Montgomery Advertiser: Mayor Steven Reed Bypasses City Council Vote, Mandates Masks With Executive Order
Raleigh News & Observer: Raleigh To Require Face Masks In Effort To Slow The Spread Of Coronavirus
Texas Tribune: Texas’ Big-City Mayors Ask Gov. Greg Abbott For Power To Impose Face Mask Rules
Arizona Daily Star: Tucson To Require Masks In Public As Ducey Relents; Pima County May Follow
ABC News: As Texas Coronavirus Cases Rise, San Antonio Finds Loophole To Mandate Masks