Myriam Borzee/iStockBy MEREDITH DELISO and ARIELLE MITROPOULOS, ABC News
(NEW YORK) — A dozen states have seen record highs of new COVID-19 cases since Friday, an ABC News analysis has found.
The states that saw the increase were Florida, Texas, Utah, South Carolina, Nevada, Georgia, Missouri, Montana, Arizona, California, Tennessee and Oklahoma, according to the analysis of state-released data compiled by the COVID Tracking Project.
Florida’s three-day streak of record-breaking numbers ended on Saturday, with 4,049 new cases of COVID-19.
On Saturday, Gov. Ron DeSantis attributed the rise in the state’s positive cases to an increase in testing. During a news briefing, he said that the state was in a “much better position today than we were at the beginning of April,” pointing to an increase in hospital beds and a decreasing mortality rate.
Amid the rising numbers, more Florida counties are now requiring facial coverings. Orange County, home to Orlando, started a new order requiring the use of masks in public on Saturday. And in Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys, masks are now required in restaurants and other businesses. Palm Beach County is set to vote on the use of masks on Tuesday.
South Carolina, Nevada and Utah saw their second day in a row of record daily new cases on Saturday, and Missouri had its second straight day of record cases on Sunday.
On Sunday, the same day Oklahoma set a record number of daily new COVID-19 cases, the state health department was urging anyone who had attended “large-scale gatherings in recent weeks” to get tested for COVID-19. Tulsa notably hosted thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump at an indoor rally on Saturday.
“As expected, Oklahoma’s urban areas as well as a few communities around the state are experiencing a rise in active COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to increased social activity and mobility,” Interim Commissioner Dr. Lance Frye said in a statement. “[We] need Oklahomans to get tested, even those without symptoms, so we can identify active cases and work together to minimize community spread.”
The ABC News analysis also found that hospitalizations for COVID-19 are increasing in 17 states across the country. Those states are Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said on CBS’ Face the Nation Sunday that the White House task force is “on top of all of these outbreaks,” including states like Arizona, Texas and Florida that are “having those upticks.”
He also told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that the White House coronavirus task force has been working with governors to make sure the United States “can open up this economy in a safe and reasonable way.”
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