As some of the world’s best athletes head down to Florida to finish out their seasons, Florida has earned a championship that no one wanted to win. On Sunday, July 12, 2020, the state of Florida reported 15,299 new COVID-19 cases. The state’s overnight surge is the highest single day total for any U.S. state since the pandemic began. Making matters worse, Florida holds the record for the second most confirmed COVID-19 cases in a single day with 11,434 on July 4, 2020. To top it all off, John Hopkins University has reported that the state’s positivity rate is nearing 20%.
Breaking. All time record for US. 15,300 new Florida COVID-19 cases overnight
— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) July 12, 2020
“It’s out of control across the state because our governor won’t even tell everybody to wear masks. At least in Miami-Dade county, everyone must wear a mask when they’re outside,” Florida Rep. Donna Shalala said on CNN.
Elsewhere, things are not looking up either. As of Sunday evening, 33 states are reporting higher rates of new cases this week as opposed to the previous week. On the other end of things, only three states are experiencing declines. One bright spot of the weekend occurred in New York, where the city experienced its lowest number of deaths in a weekend since the pandemic started.