COVID-19 activity by region: Cases rise in South, West

The pandemic is flaring in many parts of the South and West, while waning in much of the Northeast and Midwest. 

Cases have increased in at least 21 states over the past two weeks, according to a June 15 analysis by The New York Times. Another 20 states and Washington, D.C., are seeing cases fall, while nine states are seeing the number of new cases stay the same.

Below is a snapshot of what COVID-19's spread looks like across the U.S., as of June 15. 

West

Some Western states like California, Oregon and Utah are seeing an increase in new cases, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

Oregon pushed back its next reopening phase June 11 after reporting its highest single-day increase in cases, according to OregonLive. Gov. Kate Brown said she would not roll out new reopening efforts for at least seven days. The state confirmed 184 new cases June 15, the most reported in a single day. This trend has continued, with Oregon reporting its five highest single-day increases all in the past week, according to a separate OregonLive report.

California reported 3,660 new cases June 12, the highest one-day increase since 3,705 cases were reported May 30, according to The Hill. On June 14, health officials confirmed 148,855 total cases in the state and more than 5,000 deaths. The updated case count marks an increase of 20,940 infections from a week prior, the largest increase seen among all states. However, health officials noted an increase in testing may play a role in the rising case count. 

Southwest

New COVID-19 cases are steadily rising in states like Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. 

Arizona is now the national COVID-19 hotspot, with cases up 240 percent in two weeks and hospitalizations rising 77 percent over the past month, former Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt tweeted June 9. The virus is "spreading like wildfire" and, per capita, the state's infection rate is now more than three times higher than New York state, U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton tweeted June 14. Since May 15, ventilated COVID-19 patients in Arizona have quadrupled at Phoenix-based Banner Health, according to a June 8 tweet by the health organization. The system also reached capacity for patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment, according to the tweet. 

Texas reported a record high of 2,242 COVID-19 hospitalizations June 13, and some health officials are voicing concern over strained hospital capacity, according to the Houston Chronicle. On June 15, the state hit its highest daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations for the fourth consecutive day at 2,326 patients. 

Northeast

The number of new cases is largely falling or staying the same in most Northeastern states. 

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on June 15 said the state has hit its lowest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations (1,608) and the lowest three-day average of deaths since the pandemic began, according to CBS New York. During a June 14 news briefing, Mr. Cuomo threatened to lock down New York City again if residents continue to ignore social distancing precautions at bars and restaurants, according to The Washington Post. 

New Jersey entered phase two of its reopening plan June 15, which allows restaurants to offer outdoor dining and nonessential businesses to welcome back in-store shoppers, according to nj.com. June 14 marked the 16th consecutive day New Jersey reported fewer than 1,000 new cases. The state has also reported less than 2,000 hospitalizations daily since June 2.

Southeast

The number of new cases is rising across most states in the Southeast. 

South Carolina is experiencing its worst spike in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, reporting its highest number of new cases June 14 for a fifth consecutive day, according to data from The New York Times. The state reported 840 new infections June 14, 785 new cases June 13 and 729 new cases the day before.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper said June 11 that he plans to delay the next reopening phase after a "slightly elevated" average in COVID-19 cases was reported for the last two weeks, CNBC reported. The city is currently in phase two, with restaurants and retail stores operating at 75 percent capacity, and bars remaining closed. In the last month, almost half of all new cases have been reported in southeast Nashville, according to Alex Jahangir, MD, head of Nashville's coronavirus task force.

Florida has reported more than 1,000 new cases daily since June 2. The state confirmed a record 2,581 new cases June 13, marking the third consecutive day of a record-high increase, according to the Miami Herald. More than half of the state's confirmed cases are in four counties in Southern Florida: Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe.

Midwest

Most states in the Midwest are seeing the number of new cases decrease or stay the same.

On June 14, Illinois reported 19 COVID-19 deaths, the lowest daily number since April 2, according to WGN-TV.  Of all confirmed cases in the state, 93 percent are believed to have recovered. All areas in Illinois remain on track to move forward to the next reopening phase.

Though COVID-19 deaths in Minnesota continue to climb, the daily COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have declined, NPR's KNOW-FM reports. On June 15, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients fell to 353 — about 40 percent lower than at the end of May. 

 

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