TOPLINE
The United States logged 36,258 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, according to data compiled by The Washington Post, the highest number by the newspaper’s count since the pandemic began, as a spike in infections in Southern and Western states in June shows no signs of slowing down.
KEY FACTS
The record number Wednesday is largely because of the rapid spread recently in the nation’s three largest states: California, Texas and Florida.
Those three states alone accounted for over half of the new cases nationally on Wednesday, according to the Washington Post, with each state reporting a new single-day record high.
The spike in cases is also leading to a rise in hospitalizations in many states, most notably Texas, which reported a new record high for hospitalizations on Wednesday for the 13th day in a row.
The Southern and Western states now fueling the rise in infections were largely untouched during the first stage of the outbreak in the U.S. in March and April, which was largely concentrated in populated areas of the Northeast.
Many were also among the quickest to reopen.
The previous daily record high by The Washington Post tally was 34,203 on April 25.
TANGENT
Some states have recently begun to require the wearing of masks in public in the face of rising infection numbers, including North Carolina, California and Washington, as well as several cities in south Florida, like Miami, Miami Gardens and Hialeah.
And in one of the most poignant examples of the geographic shift in the nation’s cases, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced Wednesday they will require a 14-day quarantine for anyone traveling in from Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Washington, Utah and Texas.
Earlier in the pandemic, Florida had required a 14-day quarantine for travelers arriving from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Louisiana.
CRITICAL QUOTE
“Because the spread is so rampant right now, there’s never a reason for you to have to leave your home,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a television interview Tuesday, despite the fact that restaurants in the state can serve at up to 75% capacity.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
The Fourth of July is next weekend, which seems likely to bring celebrations in some places that may violate social distancing guidelines, as happened on Memorial Day, leading to a spike in cases weeks down the line. Abbott has said Memorial Day celebrations that violated social distancing guidelines have contributed to the state’s record coronavirus spike.
FURTHER READING
Texas Hits Worrisome New High: 5,000 Coronavirus Cases In One Day (Forbes)
New Face Mask Rules Hit North Carolina, Washington As Coronavirus Numbers Surge (Forbes)
