U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a "Spirit of America Showcase" event in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington, U.S. [Source: Reuters]
More than three dozen U.S. states were seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases, according to a Reuters analysis on Thursday.
This is the latest grim sign that the coronavirus pandemic, once thought to be waning, was again spreading rapidly.
Florida, among the states hardest hit by the June surge, reported more than 10,000 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, its largest spike so far and more new daily cases than any European country had at the height of their outbreaks.
California, another epicenter, saw positive tests climb 37% with hospitalizations up 56% over the past two weeks.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican who has previously resisted calls to make face masks mandatory, on Thursday ordered them to be worn in all counties with over 20 coronavirus cases.
Texas reported nearly 8,000 new cases on Thursday.
New infections were rising in 37 out of 50 U.S. states in the past 14 days compared with the two weeks prior, according to a Reuters analysis.
The United States has now recorded 128,706 deaths, nearly a quarter of the known global total.
The wave of new cases has several governors halting or back-pedaling on plans to reopen their states after months of strict lockdowns, closing beaches and canceling fireworks displays over the upcoming Independence Day weekend.
