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New cases of the novel coronavirus in Florida reached nearly 3,500 on Sunday, bringing its total confirmed infections to at least 97,200, as of Monday, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University.
Sunday's tally was more than four times the daily case count of nearly 819 reported May 4, when most Florida counties entered phase one of the state's reopening. The latest spike marked a nearly 76 percent increase in new infections since the number of new cases reported May 4.
The percentage of positive virus tests reported in the state has been on a mostly increasing trend over the past six weeks.
The percentage of positive tests reported in the week starting June 14 was at 8.48 percent. The June 14 figure was three times higher than the 2.27 percent reported in the week starting May 17, a day before all Florida counties entered phase one of reopening on May 18, the Florida Department of Health reports.
Daily new cases in Florida have been on a mostly increasing trend from around June 8, just days after the state entered phase two of reopening on June 5.
On Friday, the Florida Medical Association, an organization for doctors in Florida, urged local governments to require people to wear masks amid the ongoing spike in cases in state.
On Saturday, the Florida Department of Health issued an additional public health advisory. The new guideline advises "all individuals in Florida should wear masks in any setting where social distancing is not possible," the department confirmed in a statement Saturday.
It also "encourages elderly and vulnerable populations to limit interactions outside of the home, and urges all individuals to refrain from participating in gatherings of more than 50 people.
"This advisory is in addition to steps that the Department has taken to increase mitigation measures, including the purchase of 20 million cloth masks, which are actively being distributed statewide," the statement added.
Florida's 67 counties have entered the second phase of reopening, as of Saturday, the department confirmed. During the second phase of reopening, bars, pubs, personal services, and entertainment businesses were allowed to operate with social distancing guidelines and capacity limits in place.
Florida Gov. DeSantis directed the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation to increase inspections to ensure businesses are following the respective guidelines for phase one and phase two of the state's reopening, the state health department confirmed Saturday.
On Thursday, multiple hospitals in Florida were reported to be running out of intensive care unit (ICU) beds, with several having no availability at all, according to a report from Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
Palm Beach County was reported to have the highest shortage, while at least 75 percent of available hospital beds statewide were said to be occupied, according to another report from the AHCA.
The novel coronavirus, which was first reported in Wuhan, China, has spread to over 8.9 million people across the globe, including over 2.2 million in the U.S. More than 4.4 million globally have reportedly recovered from infection, while nearly 468,600 have died, as of Monday, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University.
The graphics below, provided by Statista, illustrate the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. and the worst-affected countries.
The graphic below, provided by Statista, illustrates the percentage of COVID-19-related hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths in the U.S.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more