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Coronavirus Surges Across Country as Dr. Fauci Warns U.S. Still “Knee-Deep” in First Wave

HeadlineJul 07, 2020

Hospitals in parts of Florida, Texas, Arizona and California are running out of intensive care unit beds as coronavirus cases continue to surge. In Texas, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has quadrupled over the past month. In St. Petersburg, Florida, five hospitals have run out of intensive care unit beds. In Miami, indoor restaurants have been ordered to close again, less than two months after being reopened. Nationwide, the death toll from COVID-19 has topped 130,000, and COVID cases are rising in 41 states. At least 14 states have reported single-day highs in cases recently. On Monday, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, warned the United States is still “knee-deep” in the first wave of the pandemic.

Dr. Anthony Fauci: “A series of circumstances associated with various states and cities trying to open up, in the sense of getting back to some form of normality, has led to a situation where we now have record-breaking cases. Two days ago, it was at 57,500. So, within a period of a week and a half, we’ve almost doubled the number of cases. So, in answer to your first question, we are still knee-deep in the first wave of this.”

Dr.Fauci also said immunity provided by antibodies may be “finite” and that protection from any potential vaccine might be short-lived.

The pandemic continues to hit communities of color the hardest. Newly released federal data show African American and Latinx people are nearly three times more likely to be infected and twice as likely to die from the virus compared to their white neighbors.

In California, the top medical officer for the state’s prison system has been ousted following the death of six prisoners from COVID-19 at San Quentin State Prison, where more than 1,300 prisoners have tested positive.

Meanwhile, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has announced she has tested positive for the virus.

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