Florida surpasses New York in confirmed COVID-19 cases
Florida surpassed New York in confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday, with state numbers skyrocketing to over 414,000. Florida now has the second-highest number of cases in the country behind only California.
With an additional 12,180 new infections, Florida reported a total of 414,511 confirmed cases Saturday, topping New York. California has more than 440,000 total confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. New York — once a pandemic hotspot — reported an additional 750 people tested positive for the virus Friday, bringing the state's total to 411,200 confirmed cases.
This week, Florida also marked a grim milestone when it reported 173 deaths, a new single-day record. Many ICUs are at or nearing capacity across the state.
Municipalities throughout the state have imposed curfews in an effort to regulate large gatherings, which have increased since reopening began several months ago. Many cities are also reversing their reopening efforts.
On Thursday, President Trump announced he's canceling the Jacksonville portion of the Republican National Convention next month, citing Florida's coronavirus crisis. However, the president has been vocal about his desire for schools to reopen, even in the hardest-hit states.
In an interview with "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan on Friday, Surgeon General Jerome Adams recommended schools reopen with COVID-19 positivity rates of less than 10%. At least twelve states currently have positivity rates higher than 10%, including hotspots like Texas, Arizona and Florida.
Some teachers in Florida are pushing back against a mandate that requires schools to reopen in the fall for in-person instruction. Governor Ron Desantis appeared to relax his stance on reopening this week, saying, "If a school district needs to delay the school year for a few weeks, so that everything will be in good shape, have at it."
While new daily cases in Florida remain high, the number of people hospitalized in New York with coronavirus continues to drop to the lowest levels since the pandemic began. On Saturday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said 646 people were hospitalized in the state on Friday, a new low since March 16.
Cuomo also announced 149 COVID-19 patients are in ICUs throughout the state, also a new low since March 16.
The latest data brings the total number of confirmed cases in the U.S. to more than 4,150,000. Over one million of those cases were reported in roughly the last two weeks.