COVID-19 cases surge in several U.S. states as reopening efforts continue
2020-06-22 08:15:00

Over 10 U.S. states, as marked on the American Map with blurry red spots, have seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases during this week, as businesses continue to resume operations across the nation. (Xinhua)

"We're seeing a resurgence in the south and the southeast, they really never got rid of their epidemics," says Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration.

WASHINGTON, June 21  -- Several U.S. states have seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases as businesses continue to resume operations across the nation, casting a shadow over the current path to reopening.

The southeastern U.S. state of Florida, for example, reported 4,049 new cases on Saturday, setting a single-day record for the third day in a row, according to data from the Florida Department of Health.

South Carolina, Missouri, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Montana also hit records on the day, according to a report from The New York Times, which noted that California, Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma and Oregon hit records earlier in the week.

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 2.2 million confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States, with over 119,800 deaths, according to a data tracking tool developed by Johns Hopkins University.

More than 30,000 new infections were reported across the nation on both Friday and Saturday, indicating a nationwide uptick in COVID-19 cases, despite a downward trend in over 10 states including New York and New Jersey.

"We're seeing a resurgence in the south and the southeast, they really never got rid of their epidemics," Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration, told CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

Noting that some states could experience exponential growth of COVID-19 cases this weekend, Gottlieb said Texas, Arizona and Florida could be overwhelmed as case numbers continue to surge.

Source: Xinhua Editor: Hiram