New Coronavirus Infections Top 50K in a Day

Holiday weekend could be 'perfect storm' for another spike in cases
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 2, 2020 6:47 AM CDT
New Coronavirus Infections Top 50K in a Day
A patient is reflected in the sunglasses of medical student Bryan Delgado as he gathers his information at a free COVID-19 testing provided by United Memorial Medical Center at the Mexican Consulate Sunday, June 28, 2020, in Houston.   (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

America passed yet another alarming milestone in the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday, with new infections rising about 50,000 in a day for the first time. There were at least 50,203 new infections reported Wednesday, according to CNN, with Arizona, California, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Texas reporting record numbers of new cases. The New York Times notes that amid major outbreaks in the South and West, the single-day infection record has been broken five times in just over a week. Tuesday also saw a record rise in COVID-19 cases, with more than 47,000 new infections reported.

States including California have halted or reversed reopening plans, and authorities have urged people to stay home over the Fourth of July weekend—or at least limit gatherings, maintain social distancing, and avoid indoor events. The holiday weekend could be the "perfect storm" for another rise in cases, Dr. Joshua Barocas, an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center, tells CNN. "The combination of travel, the combination of reopening—perhaps in some cases, too early—and the combination of people not necessarily following some of these preventive guidelines," he says. President Trump said Wednesday that he is "all for" face masks, though the Washington Post notes that he later mocked Biden for wearing a mask at events where "the audience is 25, 30, 40 feet away." (More coronavirus stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X