The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has topped 155,000 as the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 soared in July by nearly 50%. On Sunday, top White House coronavirus adviser Deborah Birx appeared on CNN and warned the country has entered a new phase in its fight against the pandemic.

Dr. Deborah Birx: “What we’re seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread. It’s into the rural as equal urban areas. And to everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus.”

Over the weekend, California became the first state to record more than 500,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. California reported 219 deaths on Friday — a new single-day high. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 death toll at San Quentin State Prison has reached 20. This comes as more than 7,000 people in Southern California have been forced to flee their home due to a massive wildfire east of Los Angeles.