The United States reported more than 45,000 coronavirus cases on Friday, a record increase, as some of the hardest hit states begin to pause or reverse their reopening plans, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
An additional 45,255 cases of Covid-19 were reported Friday across the country, bringing the total to more than 2.46 million cases, according to Johns Hopkins data. As of Friday, the seven-day average of new cases in the United States increased more than 41% compared to a week ago.
Cases are growing 5% or more based on a seven-day average in 34 U.S. states, including Arizona, Texas, California, Florida, and Nevada.
“There are more cases. There are more hospitalizations in some of those places and they will see more deaths soon,” White House health adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview with CNBC’s Meg Tirrell that was broadcast by Milken. Institute.
“Although deaths are declining as a country, that does not mean that you will not start seeing them now,” he said.
Deaths from Covid-19 lag behind other data points, such as hospitalizations, that delayed confirmed infections since the disease can take weeks to fully develop in one person. Hospitalizations due to Covid-19 were growing in 14 states as of Friday, according to a CNBC analysis of data from the Covid Tracking Project.
On Friday, the White House coronavirus task force warned younger people, who they say are driving new infections, that they may not be as vulnerable to serious illness, but could infect someone who is.
“If there is a message coming in today, I hope it is telling younger Americans in these states, and in these counties in particular, that they are a large part of the numbers that we are seeing in new cases,” said Vice President Mike Pence. . he said at a press conference.
Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, added that the coronavirus poses an increased risk for people with underlying health conditions, such as diabetes and significant obesity, that span every age group.
While the increase in the number of daily cases may reflect an increase in testing in certain places, some states report higher positivity rates. The positivity rate indicates the percentage of tests that test positive in a specific region. Epidemiologists say this number may indicate how widely the virus is spreading in a community.
California’s positivity rate has increased to more than 5% in the past two weeks as the state reports that registrations are increasing every day in new cases. Texas’ positivity rate topped 10% on Wednesday, which is a level that raises a “warning flag,” according to Gov. Greg Abbott. The Arizona rate is now averaging above 11%, according to the state department of health.
Texas
Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday ordered all licensed hospitals in Bexar, Dallas, Harris and Travis counties to postpone elective procedures to protect the hospital capacity of Covid-19 patients. Those counties include the largest cities in the state: Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin.
As of Friday, Texas reported a 57% increase in hospitalizations, based on an average of seven days, compared to a week ago. Their average number of daily cases grew by almost 70%, according to data from John Hopkins.
Abbott said he would roll back part of the state’s reopening plan on Friday, closing the state’s bars and reducing the ability to eat indoors, among other modifications and closings.
“As I said from the beginning, if the positivity rate were to rise above 10%, the State of Texas would take further steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Abbott said in a press release.
Arizona
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said Thursday that state hospitals are experiencing additional stress and “are likely to reach overvoltage capacity very soon.” The state health department reported more than 3,500 new cases on Saturday, approaching the daily record set on Tuesday.
As of Friday, Arizona reported a 36% increase in hospitalizations, based on an average of seven days, compared to a week ago. Their average number of daily cases grew by more than 42%, according to data from John Hopkins.
“Covid-19 is widespread in Arizona. It is in all 15 counties. It is growing and growing rapidly in all age groups and demographics. Anyone can get this virus and anyone can spread it,” it said in a statement. conference.
If the state’s reopening were a stoplight, Ducey said it would be in the “yellow” or “cedant” position.
Florida
Florida has banned drinking from bars again in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The state reported more than 9,600 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, the record-breaking second day of new cases, according to the state health department.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that the state has no plans to continue its step-by-step reopening plan. He added that the state “never anticipated” will continue to make progress on this point.
“We are where we are. I didn’t say we were going to go to the next phase,” DeSantis said at a press conference.
On Thursday, the city of Miami issued a mandate requiring that facials be covered in public at all times until further notice. Those who defy the order could be fined $ 50 and face court appearances for repeated offenses.
“All options have to be on the table. When we see our hospitalizations go up, our ICU beds go up, our fans go up. Still with enough capacity, but going up. It is worrying,” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told CNN. on Friday, when asked if he would consider instituting another stay-at-home order.
– CNBC’s Nate Rattner contributed to this report.
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