(Reuters) – The United States on Thursday reported more than 55,000 new cases of COVID-19, a new daily world record for the coronavirus pandemic, as infections increased in most states.
A spike in coronavirus cases over the past week put President Donald Trump’s handling of the crisis under the microscope and prompted several governors to halt plans to reopen their states after strict blockades.
The daily count for the US was 55,274 on Thursday night, beating the previous one-day record of 54,771 set by Brazil on June 19.
Coronavirus cases are on the rise in 37 of the 50 states in the United States, including Florida, which confirmed more than 10,000 new cases Thursday. That marked the largest daily peak in the state thus far and a level that exceeded single-day records of any European country at the height of the outbreak there.
California, another epicenter, experienced a 37% increase in positive tests with a 56% increase in hospitalizations in the past two weeks.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican who previously resisted calls to make face masks mandatory, ordered Thursday that they be used in all counties with more than 20 coronavirus cases.
“In the past few weeks, there has been a rapid and substantial increase in coronavirus cases,” Abbott said in a recorded video message. “We need to refocus on curbing the spread. But this time, we want to do it without closing Texas again. ”
Texas reported nearly 8,000 new cases on Thursday.
New infections increased in 37 of the 50 US states in the past 14 days compared to the previous two weeks, according to a Reuters analysis. The United States has recorded nearly 129,000 deaths, nearly a quarter of the known world total.
The wave of new cases has multiple governors stopping or backing down on plans to reopen their states after months of strict closings, beach closings, and canceling fireworks over the upcoming Independence Day weekend.
‘STILL ON THE FIRST WAVE’
“We have not emerged from this crisis. We are still in the first wave of this crisis. It requires some level of personal responsibility, ”said California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, in a daily briefing on the pandemic.
Earlier Thursday, Kansas required covering its face after a 46% increase in infections there last week.
The widespread closure of businesses at the start of the pandemic devastated the United States economy and left millions of Americans out of work, leaving governors reluctant to take such draconian measures again, even if the lifting of restrictions likely triggered the new outbreak.
A report by the US Department of Labor released Thursday showed that the reopens had a dramatic impact on hiring, and that the United States created jobs at a record pace in June. However, employment remains 14.7 million jobs below pre-pandemic levels.
“Today’s announcement shows that our economy is rebounding,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
But the latest batch of high-frequency data gathered by Federal Reserve officials, economists and private companies suggests that economic activity stagnated in recent days during the new drastic measures.
“More than ever, we are concerned about the worsening health situation and its impact on the burgeoning recovery. Recovery of mobility and misuse of protective gear will be a dangerous summer cocktail, “wrote Oxford Economics analyst Gregory Daco.
Joe Biden, Trump’s long-awaited rival for the presidency in November, hit him on Thursday.
“Stop claiming victory with nearly 15 million Americans still out of work because of the crisis. Stop ignoring the reality of this pandemic and the horrible loss of American lives, “Biden said in a campaign speech.
Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, who attended a Trump rally last month in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been hospitalized with COVID-19, according to his Twitter account. The statement did not say where he was infected.
Eight campaign staff members who were in Tulsa for the June 20 rally also tested positive.
United States Vice President Mike Pence was in Florida on Thursday, where he met with Governor Ron DeSantis and expressed his support for the governor’s “prudent steps” to curb the spread of the virus.
Pence previously said he and Trump supported decisions to stop the reopens, but added that he did not see the need for a national mandate to cover his face.
(GRAPH: Tracking the New Coronavirus in the US, Here)
(GRAPH: The lifeline, COVID-19 treatments, vaccines under development – here)
Reports by Jeff Mason, Steve Holland, Alexandra Aleper, Lisa Lambert, Doina Chiacu, Timothy Ahmann, Lisa Shumaker, Eric Beech, Brad Brooks and Brendan O’Brien; Written by Sonya Hepinstall and Dan Whitcomb; Bill Berkrot and Jane Wardell edition
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