These States Aren't Doing Enough to Fight COVID, White House Warns
The coronavirus task force says their previous efforts "changed the course of this pandemic."
The return of the holiday season usually brings with it the anticipation of being reunited and celebrating with loved ones. But this year's festivities are also arriving as the U.S. suffers the worst days yet of the coronavirus pandemic, with record-breaking numbers being reported each day. But one set of states in particular has drawn the ire of the White House for not doing enough to fight COVID surges: the Sun Belt. Read on to see what the coronavirus task force had to say about their response, and for more on the states earning praise, check out Dr. Fauci Says These 2 States Have Had the Best COVID Response.
During an interview with NBC's Meet the Press on Dec. 6, Deborah Birx, MD, White House coronavirus task force coordinator, made it clear that there were some state officials who were not stepping up to the task of keeping COVID-19 at bay with basic restrictions that had worked previously. "Right now, across the Sun Belt, we have governors and mayors who have cases equivalent to what they had in the summertime, yet aren't putting in the same policies and mitigations that they put in the summer that they know changed the course of this pandemic," she said.
Birx went on to explain how officials were responsible for making sure their citizens are aware of the dangers of getting together to celebrate upcoming holidays. "Every state needs to be critically informing their state population that the gatherings that we saw in Thanksgiving will lead to a surge," she warned.
"It will happen this week and next week. And cannot go into the holiday season—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza—with the same kind of attitude that: 'Those gatherings don't apply to me.' They apply to everyone if you don't want to lose your grandparents, your aunt," Birx cautioned.
States in the Sun Belt previously enacted safety measures during summertime peaks, such as mask mandates and business closures, that successfully brought numbers down. But even amid skyrocketing case numbers and hospitalizations, officials such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have repeatedly rebuffed advice from the federal task force and refused to issue statewide policies. In mid-November, a spokesperson for DeSantis told local Miami affiliate CBS12 News, "The governor will not lockdown and hurt families who can't afford to shelter in place for six weeks—especially not for a virus that has a 99.8 percent survival rate."
But Birx says: "We have to really understand how contagious, how infectious this virus is. And it's really important at this moment in time that everyone understands also how much virus is out there."
As of Dec. 9, all three of the states to report above 1 million COVID-19 cases were located in the Sun Belt: Texas, California, and Florida. Read on to see how each state in the Sun Belt region is faring, as of Dec. 9, according to data from Covid Act Now, and for more on red flags that you may be sick, check out This Strange Pain Could Be the First Sign You Have COVID, Study Says.
Read the original article on Best Life.
1
Alabama
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 69.2
Positive test rate: 17.4 percent
And for more on how to stay safe this time of year, check out Dr. Fauci Says to Limit Your Holiday Celebrations to This Many People.
2
Arizona
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 81.3
Positive test rate: 15.7 percent
3
Arkansas
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 71.1
Positive test rate: 11.1 percent
And for more on places you should be avoiding, check out Almost All COVID Transmission Is Happening in These 5 Places, Doctor Says.
4
California
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 62
Positive test rate: 7.9 percent
5
Colorado
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 78.4
Positive test rate: 12.4 percent
6
Florida
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 43.6
Positive test rate: 10.6 percent
And for more on what could make the pandemic even worse, check out Dr. Fauci Says This One Thing Could Spread COVID More Than Anything Yet.
7
Georgia
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 46.5
Positive test rate: 13.2 percent
8
Kansas
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 83.7
Positive test rate: 21.1 percent
9
Louisiana
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 51.7
Positive test rate: 11.1 percent
10
Mississippi
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 64.9
Positive test rate: 16.9 percent
And for more on what type of PPE to be careful of, check out The FDA Just Issued a Warning Against This Kind of Face Mask.
11
Nevada
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 86.9
Positive test rate: 22.4 percent
12
New Mexico
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 71.7
Positive test rate: 15 percent
13
North Carolina
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 48.9
Positive test rate: 11 percent
14
Oklahoma
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 76.6
Positive test rate: 20.9 percent
15
South Carolina
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 50.1
Positive test rate: 14.3 percent
16
Texas
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 47.5
Positive test rate: 14 percent
17
Tennessee
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 64.9
Positive test rate: Unknown
18
Utah
Daily new cases per 100,000 people: 96.7
Positive test rate: 20.2 percent
And for a factor that could be keeping you free of the virus, check out If You Have One of These Blood Types, You May Be Safe From COVID.
