Florida and Texas lead states where new coronavirus cases are rising significantly

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Even with new cases of COVID-19 climbing quickly in Florida and Texas—by more than 1,000 more new cases per day than they saw two weeks ago—governors of those states are pressing ahead with reopening initiatives.

According to a Fortune analysis of New York Times data, Florida averaged 876 new cases per day in the seven-day period ending June 3; that compares to an average of 2,193 new cases for the period ending yesterday, June 17. Earlier this week, Governor Ron DeSantis pointed to more widespread testing and the identification of asymptomatic cases through contact tracing efforts and said the state “will not roll back” the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions despite the record-breaking levels of new cases. Some of the governor’s facts have been challenged, while others have worried about the increasing rate of positive cases in the state. While Florida’s tally of new cases topped 3,000 today, that is still well below the number of new cases hard hit New York saw at its peak in April—more than 12,000 in one day.

Texas, where Governor Greg Abbott today announced plans to reopen schools this fall, averaged 2,528 new cases per day over the past seven days; two weeks ago, that figure was roughly 1,492.

New cases are trending upward in 18 states across the country. Along with Texas and Florida, eight other states saw the number of daily new cases rising significantly—by more than 200 new cases per day, on average.

The states hit hardest in the first months of the pandemic and in the early stages of reopening are for the most part seeing the number of new cases reported each day decline significantly. New coronavirus cases in Massachusetts are down by an average of 768 cases per day as compared to two weeks ago; in Illinois, new cases are down by an average of 734 cases per day.

State-by-state breakdown of daily new cases

New cases based on a seven-day average

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