Florida Shatters Record For New Coronavirus Cases With Massive Single Day Increase

TOPLINE

On Friday, Florida reported nearly 9,000 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours, shattering its previous record for most new cases in one day and cementing the state as the new outbreak epicenter in the U.S.

KEY FACTS

Key background

Florida was one of the first states to reopen and is currently in Phase 2 of its reopening, which has allowed for offices to reopen, while bars and restaurants are allowed to operate at 50% of their normal capacity. After originally claiming the spike in cases could be attributed to a spike to increased testing — as President Trump has also misleadingly claimed — DeSantis acknowledged on Saturday that the rising number of new Covid-19 cases in Florida cannot be explained away by an increase in testing. “Even with the testing increasing or being flat, the number of people testing positive is accelerating faster than that,” DeSantis told reporters during a briefing at the state Capitol. “You know that’s evidence that there’s transmission within those communities.” 

CRUCIAL QUOTE

During a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested that states may need to reconsider their reopening plans as cases continue to rise across the country. “I wouldn’t necessarily say an absolute shutdown, lockdown, but if someone is going from gateway to Phase 1 to Phase 2 and they get into trouble in Phase 2, they may need to go back to Phase 1,” he said. Fauci cited Texas, Arizona, and Florida among those states that may need to consider these

Tangent

As outbreaks continue to worsen in several states, the Trump administration is considering pivoting to a new strategy that would test people groups, the Washington Post reports. That would allow officials to test more people with fewer resources and more quickly identify and isolate those who are infected.

FURTHER READING

Texas Has Set A New Coronavirus Hospitalization Record Every Day For 2 Weeks (Forbes)

Fauci Says Trump Considering Coronavirus Strategy Change: Group Testing (Forbes)

All 50 States Have Now Partially Reopened — Here’s How They Might Be Prompted To ‘Reclose’ (Forbes)

California Coronavirus Hospitalizations Increase 32% Over 14 Days (Forbes)

Mask Wars: As Mandates Grow—And Coronavirus Cases Surge—Some Conservatives Push Back (Forbes)