13 July 2020
As the United States continues to struggle with COVID-19, Florida broke a U.S. record for the largest number of new cases in a single day.
State officials reported more than 15,000 new infections on Sunday. That number broke New York's record of more than 12,000 cases in one day, set in April.
Florida, however, is reporting far fewer deaths than New York did during the height of its crisis.
COVID-19 deaths have been rising in the U.S., especially in the South and West. But the levels are still well below numbers recorded in April.
Florida experienced a record-breaking week last week, with 514 reported deaths. That is an average of 73 deaths a day. Three weeks ago, the state averaged 30 deaths a day.
Dr. Cindy Prins is a disease expert at the University of Florida. She told The Associated Press, "I really do think we could control this, and it's the human element that is so critical."
She added, "It should be an effort of our country. We should be pulling together when we're in a crisis, and we're definitely not doing it."
The record number of daily cases was reported one day after Florida's popular theme park Walt Disney World reopened.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered bars to close in an effort to slow the virus spread. But he has so far resisted calls for a statewide rule for people to wear face coverings in public. People have resisted face covering rules in other U.S. states, too.
On Sunday, U.S. Health and Human Services Department official Brett Giroir said he thinks public face coverings are "essential" to help slow the virus. Giroir, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, told ABC television, "if we don't have that, we will not get control of the virus."
President Donald Trump, a Republican, wore a face mask in public for the first time on Saturday. The Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said Trump's action showed he might have "crossed a bridge."
Pelosi told CNN's "State of the Union" that she hopes the move means the president "will change his attitude, which will be helpful in stopping the spread of the coronavirus."
In Houston, Texas, two top Democratic officials called for the nation's fourth-largest city to issue stay-at-home orders. Hospitals there are struggling with increasing numbers of sick patients.
Around the world, other countries experiencing sharp increases in COVID-19 cases include India, South Africa and Brazil.
India has the most cases after the U.S. and Brazil. It has reported a record 28,637 cases in the past 24 hours. Officials announced a weeklong lockdown beginning Tuesday in the southern technology center of Bangalore. The city includes offices of top tech companies, including Microsoft, Apple and Amazon.
South Africa has reported more than 10,000 new daily cases for the past several days, including 13,497 new infections on Saturday. Johannesburg's densely populated Soweto township is one of the virus hot spots. With over 264,000 cases and nearly 4,000 deaths, South Africa has reported more than 40 percent of all COVID-19 cases in Africa.
I'm Bryan Lynn.
The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
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Words in This Story
theme park – n. a park built for fun that usually includes games, machines to ride on and restaurants
bar – n. a place where alcoholic drinks are sold and served
essential – adj. necessary
attitude – n. how you think or feel about something
lockdown – n. a state of isolation or restricted movement established as a security measure
hot spot – n. a place where there is a lot of particular activity
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