As Cases Spike In Arizona, Texas And Florida, Colorado Finds Success With Methodical Approach
Colorado has largely avoided the spikes its neighbors in the West are seeing as they reopen. The state benefits from a young, healthy population, but a look at its strategy for reopening could offer a road map for success for other states. Other news is reported out of Oregon and Georgia, as well.
Politico:
What Colorado Is Getting Right About Reopening
Colorado was the first Democratic-run state to reopen from a coronavirus lockdown, and so far it has avoided the fresh spikes in infection rippling across the West. Its measured approach could be a lesson for the country on how to reopen effectively. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis stood out because he embarked on a slow and methodical economic recovery in late April — even before the White House’s stay-at-home guidelines expired. Polis limited when restaurants and other businesses could reopen, at first only allowing curbside pickups at stores, imposing strict social distancing on salons and other personal services and prohibiting gatherings over 10 people. (Goldberg, 6/16)
Reuters:
Record Spike In New Coronavirus Cases Reported In Six U.S. States As Reopening Accelerates
New coronavirus infections hit record highs in six U.S. states on Tuesday, marking a rising tide of cases for a second consecutive week as most states moved forward with reopening their economies. Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas all reported record increases in new cases on Tuesday after recording all-time highs last week. Nevada also reported its highest single-day tally of new cases on Tuesday, up from a previous high on May 23. Hospitalizations are also rising or at record highs. (Shumaker and O'Brien, 6/16)
Stat:
Rising Covid-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Underscore The Long Road Ahead
The U.S. is now confronting what public health experts have been warning about but many in the public had not absorbed: the coronavirus pandemic will be with us for many months, and lapses in vigilance will lead to more sickness and death. 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. (Joseph, 6/17)
CNN:
US Coronavirus: Florida, Arizona And Texas Report Record Number Of Daily Covid-19 Cases This Week
Loosening restrictions and increasing public gatherings may make it seem as though the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic is over, but just this week Florida, Texas and Arizona set daily records for new cases. The states are among 18 across the nation seeing increasing trends in new cases from one week to the next. More than 2 million people in the US have been infected with coronavirus and 116,962 have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Health experts are warning that more infections and deaths are in store as states continue their reopening plans. (Holcombe, 6/17)
NPR:
Florida Officials Spar Over Rising COVID-19 Cases
In Florida, where there's a surge of new COVID-19 cases, officials are divided over what to do about it. The state saw 2,783 new cases Tuesday. It was the third time in a week that Florida set a new daily record. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican officials, including President Trump, say the rising number of new cases was expected and is mostly the result of increased testing. Florida is now testing more than 200,000 people a week, more than double the number tested weekly in mid-May. (Allen, 6/16)
CNN:
16 Friends Test Positive For Coronavirus After An Outing At A Florida Bar
A group of 16 friends all tested positive for coronavirus after a night out at a recently reopened Florida bar. Three members of the group, who spoke to CNN's Chris Cuomo Tuesday, said they want to remind the public that the pandemic is not over yet. "We want to raise awareness and get ahead of it," Kat Layton told Cuomo. "We want to tell people it's really not ready for what we thought it was ready for, it's too soon." (Holcombe, 6/17)
The Associated Press:
As Florida Test Numbers Rise, The NBA Prepares For Disney
The rate of positive coronavirus tests in the Orlando, Florida, area has been soaring in recent days. The NBA hopes that doesn’t matter. After spending weeks on putting together an incredibly elaborate series of health and safety protocols — the word “testing” appears 282 times in the document — the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association believe they have done what is necessary to keep the 22 teams and others who will be part of the season restart at the Disney campus near Orlando next month safe and healthy. (Reynolds, 6/17)
The Associated Press:
Arizona Sees Nearly 2,400 New Virus Cases, A Daily High
The number of new coronavirus cases in Arizona has hit an alarming new daily high of nearly 2,400 — almost double the previous record, health officials said Tuesday. The state Department of Health Services reported 2,392 new cases and 25 additional deaths. Hospital intensive care units were hovering around 80% capacity with 1,307 people with the virus as of Monday. (6/16)
The New York Times:
Arizona Wildfires Force Hundreds To Evacuate As Coronavirus Cases Surge
Wildfires across Arizona have forced hundreds to evacuate their homes, fleeing blazes — including one that has already consumed over 100 square miles — as the state grapples with a spike in confirmed coronavirus infections. The Bush Fire, around 30 miles northeast of Phoenix, has burned over 64,000 acres since Saturday, according to fire officials. Firefighters will have to battle winds that are expected to reach 20 to 30 miles per hour as well as dry summer heat, with temperatures above 100 in places, said Dee Hines, a fire agency spokesman. (Pietsch, 6/16)
NPR:
Texas Governor Says 'No Reason Today To Be Alarmed' As Coronavirus Cases Set Record
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday the state's highest-ever number of new COVID-19 cases: 2,622. He also reported a second record high: 2,518 people hospitalized with the virus in Texas, up from 2,326 a day earlier. Despite the concerning uptick in people sick with the virus, Abbott said that the reason for his news conference was to let Texans know about the "abundant" hospital capacity for treating people with COVID-19. (Wamsley, 6/16)
ABC News:
'No Reason To Be Alarmed' Says Governor As Texas Sets Records For New COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations
Tuesday also marked the sixth straight day of hospitalization increases, and the fifth day of record-setting ones, starting with 2,166 on June 12. At a news briefing on Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott said the rising number of hospitalizations "does raise concerns," but that "there is no reason right now to be alarmed." (Deliso, 6/16)
Bloomberg:
Texas Confronts Surge In Hospitalizations After Reopening
Abbott reassured residents that hospitals in the second-most-populous state have ample capacity, but he said some bar patrons are putting themselves at risk by failing to observe social distancing. And he rebuffed local officials seeking permission to reimpose lockdowns or other restrictions amid the resurgent pandemic. County leaders and mayors in the biggest metropolitan areas have warned that Abbott’s phased reopening of the Texas economy that began seven weeks ago has been too swift and sweeping, and bristled at his executive orders superseding local crackdowns. (Carroll and Levin, 6/16)
Dallas Morning News:
Dallas County Reports 306 New Coronavirus Cases And 8 Deaths As Hospitalizations, ER Visits Rise
Dallas County reported 306 new coronavirus cases and eight deaths Tuesday, as hospitalizations and emergency-room visits for COVID-19 symptoms increased. Seven of the victims were Dallas residents: a man in his 30s, a woman in her 40s, two men in their 60s, a woman in her 70s and two women in their 90s who were residents of long-term care facilities. The other victim was a Hutchins man in his 40s. All eight had underlying high-risk health conditions. (Jones, 6/16)
The Associated Press:
Church Tied To Oregon's Largest Coronavirus Outbreak
A church in rural northeastern Oregon is now the epicenter of the state’s largest coronavirus outbreak, as 236 people tested positive for the disease, authorities said Tuesday. The outbreak also led to Oregon’s second consecutive record-setting daily case count. “I think generally we are seeing increasing numbers, which is what we expected with reopening,” said Thomas Jeanne, the deputy state health officer and deputy state epidemiologist. (Cline, 6/16)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Coronavirus Cases On The Rise Again In Georgia
Georgia’s reported coronavirus cases rose in each of the past two weeks, and clusters of counties across the state have experienced spikes in new cases, state data shows. The jump in confirmed infections comes amid broader testing for the virus and as the state loosens restrictions on movement and businesses. (Trubey, 6/16)
