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With Covid-19 cases soaring in the US South and Southwest, the nation's public health experts fear the end is not yet in sight and wonder what normal will look like as the pandemic stretches on through the rest of the year. While New York and New Jersey were the early virus hotspots, California, Florida, Arizona and Texas now have become the states to watch, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease doctor, said Tuesday. Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, called Covid-19 a "pandemic of historic proportions." (Holcombe, 7/15)

It’s not just Florida, Arizona and Texas anymore. States including Oklahoma and Nevada are reporting record numbers of new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths, according to data tracked by The Washington Post. More than 62,000 new infections were reported nationwide on Tuesday, pushing the total count since the pandemic began past 3.41 million. Outside of the United States, that kind of explosive growth can be found only in the developing world, in countries that lack the United States’ wealth and resources. The number of new cases reported in Florida alone over the past week outstrips the total count in most European nations. (Noori Farzan and Armus, 7/15)

Alabama and Florida reported their respective states’ highest single-day death tolls on Tuesday since the coronavirus pandemic began. In its 10 a.m. update, the Alabama Department of Public Health confirmed 40 single-day deaths. It also has 56,441 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with an increase of 1,673 since Monday. (Darnell, 7/14)

After Florida reported a record 132 deaths on Tuesday, a group of mayors from Miami-Dade County, the center of the state’s crisis, warned Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, that local officials are running out of time to avoid another painful economic closure. “There is a significant amount of pressure for us to shut down,” Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami told Mr. DeSantis at an event in the city. “We have between one week and four weeks to get this thing under control, or we will have to take some aggressive measures.” (7/14)

Florida posted its highest number of deaths yet from the coronavirus Tuesday. The state's Department of Health reported 132 deaths and 9,194 new positive cases. It followed two days when Florida registered its highest number of new COVID-19 cases. On Sunday, Florida saw 15,300 cases, the most so far by any state. (Allen, 7/14)

The governors of Virginia and Maryland moved Tuesday to enforce mask and social distancing requirements inside bars and other businesses after an increase in coronavirus cases stirred worries that the region is facing a resurgence of the virus seen in other parts of the country. The seven-day average of new infections in the District, Maryland and Virginia increased for an eighth consecutive day Tuesday, jumping to 1,421 — about where the region stood last month before shutdown restrictions for nonessential businesses were further loosened. The region’s largest daily caseloads of the past month have occurred in the past five days. (Olivo, Hedgpeth, Cox and Wiggins, 7/14)

Health care systems in many places struggle in winter. Conditions such as asthma, heart attacks and stroke tend to worsen in colder temperatures, and some infectious diseases like influenza spread more easily, which means facilities face a greater patient load. This year, the coronavirus pandemic could create the perfect winter storm, and scientists say countries need to prepare for a potential uptick in cases that could be more serious than the initial outbreak. (Hunt, 7/14)