iStock/koto_fejaBy: JON HAWORTH and MATT ZARRELL, ABC News
(NEW YORK) — The novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 566,000 people worldwide.Over 12.7 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their nations’ outbreaks.The United States has become the worst-affected country, with more than 3.2 million diagnosed cases and at least 134,830 deaths.Latest headlines:– Florida breaks 1-day record for new cases- Biden campaign slams Trump for ‘politicizing’ mask-wearing for months and ‘actively discouraging’ the issue- Nearly 600 military medical teams sent to Texas hospitals to help with COVID-19- Several 4th of July partygoers at Michigan sandbar test positiveHere is how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.12:15 p.m.: Arizona positivity rate remains over 20%Arizona recorded 2,537 positive cases on Saturday, bringing the statewide total to 122,467.The state conducted 12,170 total tests, resulting in a positivity rate of 20.8%.There were 86 new deaths in Arizona on Saturday. The state has now recorded 2,237 total deaths since the pandemic began.There are currently 3,432 people hospitalized in the state from COVID-19. An estimated 89% of ICU beds in Arizona remain full.11:40 a.m.: Florida breaks 1-day record for new casesThe Florida Department of Health reported 15,300 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, making it the highest one-day total for a state in the U.S. since the pandemic began. It is nearly 4,000 more new cases than the previous record, set by New York state on April 14 with 11,571.There were another 45 deaths reported Sunday, according to the Health Department. This brings the statewide death total to 4,346.Some of the increase in new cases could be attributed to the amount of tests being conducted — there were 136,711 tests conducted on Saturday, the highest for the state by far.The state reported a positivity rate of 11.2%, which is down 1.3% from Saturday.In a press conference on Saturday, Florida Gov. DeSantis insisted his state is a leader in coronavirus testing.”Florida had more tests yesterday than the country as a whole did in March.”11:10 a.m.: Uptick in cases in NJ town linked to parties, mayor saysThe mayor of Westfield, New Jersey, announced that a rise in cases are linked to people going to parties in the community. There were 11 new cases announced on Saturday, all of which were people between the ages of 18 and 25.”I hope this spike serves as a reminder that we all have a responsibility to remain vigilant to mitigate community spread,” Mayor Shelley Brindle said in a statement posted on Facebook. “Wash your hands. Keep a safe distance. Wear a face covering. Working together, we can get this genie back in the bottle.”The town has seen 28 new cases since June 30.10:40 a.m.: New York matches previous low for new deathsNew York state reported five new deaths on Sunday, tying the record low since the pandemic began. The death total in the Empire State has now reached 24,979.The state recorded an additional 677 cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total of positive cases to 401,706.”New York State continues to move forward combatting COVID-19 with its phased, data-driven reopening in the face of alarming increases in cases throughout the country and in the nationwide death rate,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.State officials are monitoring a rise in cases in Rensselaer County, and may be linked to several individuals who tested positive for the coronavirus after traveling back to New York from Georgia, the governor’s office said.10:10 a.m.: Over 7K hospitalized in Florida for COVID-19There are 7,332 patients hospitalized in Florida for COVID-19, according to data from the state Agency for Health Care Administration.Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties are the top 3 counties with hospitalizations.Miami-Dade has 1,647 hospitalizations, Broward has 1,020 hospitalizations and Palm Beach has 605 hospitalizations.The state reported 9,960 new coronavirus cases on Saturday and an additional 421 hospitalizations. There were also 95 deaths on Saturday, marking a one-week record with 496 confirmed COVID-19 deaths.2:25 a.m.: Biden campaign slams Trump for ‘politicizing’ mask-wearing for months and ‘actively discouraging’ the issueA spokesman for former vice president Joe Biden’s campaign reacted to President Trump’s decision to wear a mask during his visit to Walter Reed Medical Center on Saturday, slamming him for spending months “ignoring the advice of medical experts,” and “politicizing” mask-wearing.“Donald Trump spent months ignoring the advice of medical experts and politicizing wearing a mask, one of the most important things we can do to prevent the spread of the virus. Rather than taking responsibility and leading, he wasted four months that Americans have been making sacrifices by stoking divisions and actively discouraging people from taking a very basic step to protect each other,” campaign spokesman Andrew Bates wrote in a statement released Saturday night.“By contrast, Joe Biden has led by example from the start and as President will make decisions informed by science to protect the American people and defeat the virus,” he continued.Numerous Biden staffers have taken to social media on Saturday to point out that Biden has been wearing a mask for months, and that President Trump mocked him for doing so during a Memorial Day visit to a war memorial.“Our Adult Son President remembered not to spread or catch an infectious respiratory disease today. Is this leadership??” the Biden campaign’s Digital Director Rob Flaherty joked.1:56 a.m.: Nearly 600 military medical teams sent to Texas hospitals to help with COVID-19U.S. Army North confirms that 580 military medical personnel are being sent to Texas by U.S. Northern Command to assist with taking care of COVID-19 patients at civilian hospitals.The 50 nurses and respiratory therapists who were sent to San Antonio earlier this week are part of this larger deployment. In effect, there are now six Urban Augmentation Medical Task Forces of 85 soldiers, along with 72 sailors from a Navy acute team and rapid rural response teams who will be operating in civilian hospitals in Texas.The deployments of these teams were a big help in New York hospitals and they proved to be more useful than setting up large temporary field hospitals or sending the Navy hospital ship.Last night Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a military medical team deployment to Texas, but that was before the Pentagon had finished working out the details.10:05 p.m.: Several 4th of July partygoers at Michigan sandbar test positiveSeveral people who attended a Fourth of July party at Torch Lake sandbar near Rapid City, Michigan, have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Health Department of Northwest Michigan.The popular hangout spot on Houghton Lake in northern Michigan had been flagged by police as problematic in a press release on July 8. Michigan State Police said it saw an increase of 26% in call volume over the previous 10 years at the so-called Torch Fest. Seven people were arrested for drunk and disorderly charges and nine were charged with operating while intoxicated.Photos released by police showed hundreds of people and boats crowded into close quarters.”If you were at the Torch Lake Sandbar party over 4th of July weekend, you should monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and seek testing if symptoms should develop or if you were at high risk for exposure due to being in close proximity with others or not wearing a cloth facial covering,” the health department said in a statement.ABC News’ Joshua Hoyos, Scott Withers, Matthew Fuhrman, Luis Martinez, John Verhovek and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
