Illinois health officials reported 2,050 new coronavirus cases on August 8, which was the highest number of new daily cases since May 24. The recent spike led to a weekend press conference from Gov. J. B. Pritzker to bring attention to the new surge in infections and to announce new emergency efforts. According to a local ABC news affiliate, Pritzker’s new rules would “allow local health departments and law enforcement agencies to enforce mask and capacity mandates for businesses that have been unwilling to do so on their own.” And for the one mask you shouldn’t wear, check out This Face Covering Is Actually Worse Than No Mask at All, Study Finds.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb The PolicyLab report suggests that newly infected people returning from summer vacations could lead to an increased “risk in urban neighborhoods.” Since the footprint of Chicago includes the northwestern part of Indiana, that state is projected to have a COVID-19 surge as well. The state has seen daily cases trending upward over the past few weeks and Indiana’s department of health reported a record high of over 1,250 new cases on August 6. Recently, Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), told ABC News that Indiana is one of the states that is “starting to show that very subtle increase in percent positives among the total tested.” And according to Fauci, an elevated positive test rate is serious cause for concern. For more on that, check out Dr. Fauci Says This Is the Sign That a COVID-19 Surge Is Coming. In the earliest days of the pandemic, Detroit was one of the COVID hotspots. Like many early hotspots, though, infections in the Detroit metro area dropped precipitously in April and May, and eventually bottomed in mid-June. Since then, infections have increased in Michigan at large in late July and early August. New daily cases topped 1,000 on July 26, the highest number in nearly three months, according to The New York Times. However, Michigan has instituted aggressive policies designed to slow the spread of COVID-19, which could keep it safe from a worsening surge. And for more on COVID-19, sign up for our daily newsletter. The Show-Me State boasts two urban areas, St. Louis and Kansas City, and perhaps as a result, it’s seeing a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections. Missouri saw a spike in daily cases throughout the month of July, peaking on the 30th at nearly 2,000. Since the start of August, there has been a decline in cases, but The New York Times data shows a return to an upward trend of new COVID cases as of August 9. So, will Missouri need to shut down again? Find out here: Here’s When Your State Will Have to Shut Down Again, New Research Shows. On August 9, the Kentucky Department of Health reported 425 daily cases, bringing the total infections in the state to 35,000 since the pandemic started. July was a particularly challenging month for the Bluegrass State, which saw a sharp increase in daily COVID cases, according to The New York Times data. That’s why Kentucky was another state Fauci said he was concerned about. And for more on that, check out Here’s What Dr. Fauci Has to Say About These 11 States’ Handling of COVID. Like other Midwestern states on this list, Ohio had a very challenging June and July in terms of COVID. The seven-day average of new daily infections nearly tripled in those months, according to The New York Times. Since August 1, the average of daily cases has dropped significantly to roughly 1,000, which shows improvement from mid-July, but is still twice the amount reported in May. And for more places where COVID is surging, check out These 5 States Account for Nearly Half of the Nation’s COVID Cases.
