Dr. Anthony Fauci: “People keep talking about a second wave… We’re still in a first wave.”
Palm Beach Health Director Alina Alonso: “The virus now has food out there. It has people that are out there without masks, without maintaining distancing. So it’s infecting more people.”
Utah Department of Health’s Dr. Angela Dunn: “We are in the acceleration phase in this outbreak.”
While the Trump administration baselessly insists that the coronavirus is under control, the situation on the ground paints another picture: the virus is still infecting at least 20,000 people a day and killing thousands each week — with numbers on an upward trajectory.
Cases are increasing in more than twenty states, nine of which reported record increases in the past week, and hospitalizations across the country are skyrocketing.
The facts of the matter are simple: Trump pushed states to reopen prematurely and now Americans are paying the price for his grave mistake. As a result of his actions, America faces an unending – and worsening – first wave.
National
On June 15, Nine States — AL, AZ, FL, NV, NC, OK, OR, SC And TX — Reported Either New Single-Day Highs Or Set A Record For Seven-Day New Coronavirus Case Averages.
- “Nine states — Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina and Texas — reported either new single-day highs or set a record for seven-day new coronavirus case averages on Tuesday, according to a Washington Post analysis. At least 115,000 people in the United States have died of the coronavirus, and more than 2,139,000 cases have been reported.” [Washington Post, 6/17/20]
Dr. Anthony Fauci: Higher Percentages Of Positive Tests “Cannot Be Explained By Increased Testing.”
- “While more testing does result in more cases, Dr. Fauci said, higher percentages of positive tests in many states ‘cannot be explained by increased testing.’ With coronavirus infections increasing rapidly in a number of states, Dr. Fauci said a relaxed approach to public-health measures that reduce risk and spread poses significant hurdles to state and federal efforts.” [Wall Street Journal, 6/16/20]
The United States As A Whole Is Still Adding 20,000 New Coronavirus Cases A Day.
- “The country as a whole is tacking on about 20,000 new Covid-19 cases to its 2.1 million infection tally each day, a clip that’s been steady for weeks, according to STAT’s Covid-19 Tracker. But cases are surging in about half of states, some of which dodged major outbreaks in the spring as the Northeast and other pockets like New Orleans became inundated.” [STAT, 6/17/20]
Boston Globe: Even As COVID-19 Cases Surge In Some States, Governors Move Ahead On Reopening
Washington Post: Pence Calls Concerns About Coronavirus Spike ‘Overblown’ As Cases Surge In A Dozen States
STAT: Rising Covid-19 Cases And Hospitalizations Underscore The Long Road Ahead
Alabama
On June 16, Alabama Recorded Their Most Coronavirus Hospitalizations Since The Beginning Of The Pandemic.
- “Since the first case of COVID-19 arrived in Alabama in March, Dr. Donald Williamson, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association, has said he’s confident the state’s hospitals can handle an influx of coronavirus patients. That changed Tuesday morning, when the state recorded the most COVID-19 patients ever being cared for across the state and, on the same day, had the fewest available intensive care beds since the pandemic began. ‘For the first time, I would have to say, I’m growing worried about the system,’ Williamson told APR. Before Tuesday, Williamson has expressed concerns about individual hospitals or cities, but not the state as a whole.” [Alabama Political Reporter, 6/16/20]
NBC News: ‘Perfect Storm For When COVID Hits’: Neglected Black Communities In Alabama See Coronavirus Surge
AL.com: Top 10 Counties In Alabama For Rising Coronavirus Cases
Alabama Political Reporter: ICU Bed Use, Covid-19 Hospitalizations Reach New Highs In Alabama
ABC News: ‘ICUs Are Full, Patients Are Dying’: 3 Alabama Counties See Largest Jump In Weekly Cases
- “Montgomery, Jefferson and Tuscaloosa Counties are all reporting their largest increases in weekly cases due to outbreaks in the workplace, long-term care facilities and large gatherings, according to a FEMA memo distributed internally on Tuesday. As of Sunday, the intensive care unit (ICU) bed occupancy rate for Montgomery and Tuscaloosa Counties were each at 96%, according to the memo. According to [Alabama State Hospital Association head Dr. Don] Williamson, who previously led the state’s health department for 23 years, Alabama’s first wave never ended.” [ABC News, 6/17/20]
Arizona
Hospitals In Arizona Are Warning That The Surge In Coronavirus Cases Is Causing Back Ups In Emergency Departments.
- “An Arizona emergency medicine doctor has seen a domino effect happening in the state as coronavirus cases continue to rise. ‘COVID units are getting so filled up that a lot of patients — even ones there for other conditions — are getting backed up in emergency departments,’ said Dr. Murtaza Akhter, a clinical assistant professor in emergency medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Phoenix. He also says younger patients might think they’re immune to COVID-19 and not protect themselves. ‘There’s a heavy, heavy caseload of respiratory cases — cough, fever, body aches, trouble breathing, and that’s concerning because a lot of them do end up having COVID,’ Akhter said.” [KTAR News, 6/17/20]
Arizona Public Media: Increased COVID-19 Hospitalizations In Arizona Could Cut Into The Standard Of Care
KTAR News: Arizona Hospitals Getting Fuller As COVID-19 Patients Getting Younger
Associated Press: Arizona Sees Nearly 2,400 New Virus Cases, A Daily High
California
Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Hospitalizations Rising In Some Parts Of California, Jeopardizing Wider Reopenings
Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Hospitalizations Creep Up In Ventura County, Raising Concerns About Reopening
Florida
Tampa Bay Times: Florida Sets New Single-Day Record For Coronavirus Cases, Adding 2,783
- “Florida set a new record for single-day coronavirus cases, with 2,783 infections recorded Tuesday. That brings the state to more than 80,000 cases since the pandemic began locally more than three months ago. The state also added 55 deaths, bringing the total to 3,085. Hospitalizations of residents and non-residents increased by 191 people.” [Tampa Bay Times, 6/16/20]
Florida’s Rising Positive Test Rate Shows That The Increase In Cases Is Not Attributable To An Increase In Testing.
- “In Palm Beach County, health director Alina Alonso says the rising positivity rate is a clear sign that the new cases can’t just be attributed to increased testing. Since Palm Beach County began allowing businesses to reopen, Alonso says, the percentage of people testing positive has jumped from 4.9% to 8.9%. ‘The fact that these are going up means there’s more community spread,’ she says. ‘The virus now has food out there. It has people that are out there without masks, without maintaining distancing. So it’s infecting more people.’” [NPR, 6/16/20]
Mary Jo Trepka, Chairwoman Of The Department Of Epidemiology At Florida International University: “There’s Evidence Of An Increase In Community-Wide Transmission.”
- “[Tuesday’s] record number came not as a spike on an otherwise flat trend line but followed two weeks of rising numbers. It comes as a growing percentage of people taking the test come up positive for the disease. And it’s accompanied by a rise in emergency room visits for flu-like symptoms since early May, a closely watched statistic thought to represent the leading edge of the disease.” [South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 6/16/20]
- “‘I think taken together, this indicates there’s evidence of an increase in community-wide transmission,’ said Mary Jo Trepka, chairwoman of the Department of Epidemiology at Florida International University. ‘It’s always a problem looking day-to-day because we do get these spikes. But for Miami-Dade we’ve seen for the last two weeks a steady increase, and the proportion of tests that are positive has also increased over the last two weeks. Certainly if it gets worse we’ll worry about hospitals not having the capacity that they need to take care of people.’” [South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 6/16/20]
Georgia
On June 16, Georgia Reported Their Highest 14 Day Average Of New Coronavirus Cases Since April.
- “An increasing number of Georgians are getting infected by the coronavirus and ending up in the hospital as Gov. Brian Kemp continues to ease restrictions on gatherings and businesses. Figures posted Tuesday show that Georgia has reported an average of 777 infections over the last 14 days, the highest level since April, when widespread transmission was at its peak and had led to a statewide lockdown. After falling, the number of infected people in a hospital has been rising for the past 10 days, reaching 875 on Tuesday.” [Associated Press, 6/17/20]
Associated Press: ‘From Bad To Worse’: Georgia’s COVID Cases, Hospitalizations On The Rise As State Reopens
- “‘I see the numbers going back up and the restrictions in terms of policies going back down, which is nonsensical,’ said Harry Heiman, a professor of public health at Georgia State University. ‘We are only having such a sustained plateau at such a high level and now seeing cases going back up because we were in such a hurry to open back up.’” [Associated Press, 6/17/20]
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Coronavirus Cases On The Rise Again In Georgia
Louisiana
Monroe News-Star: Louisiana Coronavirus Hospitalizations Rise For Third Straight Day
North Carolina
Raleigh News & Observer: Number Of Reported Coronavirus Hospitalizations In NC Soars To Another New High
- “Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of [North Carolina’s] Department of Health and Human Services, told state lawmakers Wednesday that the state has 849 in the hospital due to the coronavirus. That’s an increase of 20 over Tuesday’s total, which was the previous single-day high… State health officials also reported 1,168 deaths to the virus. That’s an increase of 14 over Tuesday’s total. The daily number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients fluctuated between 400 and 550 between mid-April and mid-May. It surpassed 600 for the first time on Memorial Day and has now been more than 800 four times in the last seven days, elevating the seven-day average to 809.7.” [Raleigh News & Observer, 6/17/20]
WBTV: Gaston County Calls 312% Increase In Positive COVID-19 Cases ‘Troubling’
- [Gaston County, North Carolina] saw a 312 percent increase in positive tests between May 30 and June 12, officials said Wednesday morning. During that same period, the percentage of positive tests out of total tests increased from 5.14 percent to 11.17 percent. ‘Perhaps of most concern,’ officials said, the number of hospitalizations increased from single digits in mid-May to more than 20 over the past week. While the rise was expected with the lifting of restrictions and additional testing, health officials said, ‘the sharp increase in positives, hospitalizations and the percentage of positives out of total tests have local health officials concerned.’” [WBTV, 6/17/20]
Oklahoma
Dr. Dale Bratzler, Oklahoma University Medicine’s Chief Enterprise Quality Officer: “We Are Bending The Curve — Sadly In The Wrong Direction.”
- “Oklahoma confirmed 228 new COVID-19 infections Tuesday — setting a new state record and continuing a recent trend that has doctors warning residents they need to be more cautious. ‘We have reached a peak that is higher than at any other point in the pandemic here in the state,’ said Dr. Dale Bratzler, OU Medicine’s chief enterprise quality officer. ‘We are bending the curve — sadly in the wrong direction.’ The spike in new cases comes at an inopportune time for Oklahoma, which not only is experiencing civil rights protests but also preparing to host President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at a Tulsa indoor arena where thousands of people are expected to attend. Tulsa County has experienced a recent spike in COVID-19 cases, which adds to the apprehension of some health professionals.” [The Oklahoman, 6/17/20]
The Oklahoman: Coronavirus in Oklahoma: Oklahoma Sets New Daily Record For COVID-19 Infections
Oklahoma Daily: OU Chief COVID Officer Warns State Trending In Wrong Direction As Hospitalizations Rise
- “[Dr. Dale] Bratzler said the state peaked at 37,000 tests conducted during the week of May 17 — an effort that yielded only 1.8 percent positive tests. In comparison, the state conducted only 30,000 tests last week but saw a much higher positivity rate of 4.6 percent. As of yesterday, six percent of state tests came back positive.” [Oklahoma Daily, 6/16/20]
KOKH: Oklahoma Sees Highest Single-Day Increase In Covid Cases
KTUL: Tulsa Hospitals Preparing For Possible Spike In COVID-19 Hospitalizations
South Carolina
South Carolina Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell: “I Have To Say That Today, I Am More Concerned Than I Have Ever Been Before.”
- “‘I have to say that today, I am more concerned than I have ever been before,’ State Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said at a recent news conference.” [Washington Examiner, 6/17/20]
For Six Consecutive Days, More Than 10 Percent Or More Of Tests Administered By South Carolina Have Come Back Positive.
- “The state has seen six consecutive days of 10 percent or more of tests administered coming back positive. That led health officials to determine the virus is spreading again and the recent spike in new cases is not just a result of increased testing efforts.” [Washington Examiner, 6/17/20]
University Of Washington’s Dr. Ali Mokdad Pointed To “A Relaxation Of Social Distancing Prematurely” As One Of The Key Drivers Of Surging Coronavirus Cases In South Carolina.
- “After reviewing the data available for South Carolina, Dr. Mokdad says he was alarmed at what he saw. ‘My concerns are the cases are rising at a time they should be coming down, so that’s very concerning.’ According to Dr. Mokdad, the recent spike could be caused by two things: increased testing efforts across the state and increased mobility. He says he believes there was ‘a relaxation of social distancing prematurely. So you’re seeing an increase of circulation of the virus.’” [WLTX, 6/16/20]
WRDW: S.C. Coronavirus Spike Will Strain Hospitals, Health Officials Warn
Washington Examiner: South Carolina Sees Continued COVID-19 Records As More Business Restrictions Lifted
Texas
Texas Coronavirus Hospitalizations Have Increased By More Than 84 Percent Since Memorial Day.
- There are 2,793 patients hospitalized with a coronavirus infection in the state, up from 2,518 patients reported Tuesday, according to updated data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. The new total Wednesday marks the eighth new high in the state in less than two weeks. Texas coronavirus hospitalizations are now up more than 84% since Memorial Day as the state continues to reopen. [CNBC, 6/17/20]
CNBC: Texas Coronavirus Hospitalizations Surge 11% In A Single Day
Texas Public Radio: San Antonio Sees Steep Increase In COVID-19 Hospitalization, Positive Test Rates
KHOU: Texas COVID-19 Cases Continue To Rise: ‘This Is The Consequence’ Of Opening Early, Doctor Says
- Right now, 21% of Houston-area hospital beds remain available. The problem, [infectious disease expert Dr. Peter] Hotez said, is that the cases are going up, not down. “The models tell a frightening story,” Hotez said. “People were aggressive about opening early and this is the consequence of it, unfortunately.”
MSNBC: Virus Cases Spike In Houston Area After Texas Reopens
Utah
Top Utah Epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn: “We’ve Seen Consistent Increases In Our Cases Since May 28, And It’s Really Been A Statewide Happening Of Increase In Cases.”
- “Though Utah moved to its low-risk in the pandemic in May, the state’s top epidemiologist offered a warning Tuesday during the state’s ongoing spike in cases: ‘We are in the acceleration phase in this outbreak.’ ‘We’ve seen consistent increases in our cases since May 28, and it’s really been a statewide happening of increase in cases,’ Dr. Angela Dunn, with the Utah Department of Health, told a legislative committee Tuesday ahead of this week’s special session when legislation dealing with the impacts of COVID-19 will be weighed. She also said the state has not flattened the curve of infections.” [Deseret News, 6/16/20]
Deseret News: ‘We Are In The Acceleration Phase,’ Utah’s Top Epidemiologist Says After Two Weeks Of Rising Covid-19 Cases