Coronavirus Surge Continues In Some States; Daily Cases Below 70K

ACROSS AMERICA — Daily coronavirus cases dipped below 70,000 after two consecutive days above the plateau, but some states are still reporting record numbers heading into the week ahead.

There were 62,398 new coronavirus cases nationwide reported Saturday, according to the latest numbers from the New York Times database. That number is below the 7-day average of 66,022. Just two days earlier, the country set a record with 75,600 new cases.

The outbreak is so widespread that 18 states have been placed in a so-called red zone because they have more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people per week, according to an unpublished report distributed this week by the White House coronavirus task force, which urged many states to take stricter steps to contain the spread.

In Florida, a weeks-long surge continued Sunday as more than 12,000 new cases were reported. Also on Sunday, Georgia topped 3,000 daily new cases for the 11th time this month.

A number of other states on Sunday reported recent case numbers in the thousands. The Louisiana Department of Public Health has counted 3,119 positive cases since Friday. In North Carolina, the state set a daily record for case increases with 2,335 according to a WCNC Charlotte report.

In Texas and California, teams of military medics have been deployed to help hospitals that have seen an influx of coronavirus patients. Some hospitals, like the Texas Medical Center in Houston, have reported more than 100 percent capacity in their intensive care units. The Houston hospital on Saturday reported 11 new coronavirus patients in their ICU beds, which were at the time at 104 percent capacity.

The number of coronavirus cases for younger people have also risen. In one county in Texas, 85 infants tested positive for the coronavirus in one day on Friday. Among them was a six-month-old boy who died as a result of the disease. In Hoboken, New Jersey, more than half of their current coronavirus cases are of people younger than 40 years old.

As of Sunday evening, the U.S. topped 3.7 million confirmed cases and 140,000 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

Globally, the World Health Organization posted a single-day record when it announced 259,848 new cases on Saturday. On Friday, the WHO posted more than 237,000 confirmed cases around the world. The back-to-back records come as many nations struggle with new waves of infections after loosening lockdown restrictions.

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