Many states are feeling the effects of an anticipated post-holiday surge, and officials are warning that the situation could become even more grave. “The increases in cases are likely to continue for weeks to come as a result of holiday and New Year’s Eve parties and returning travelers,” Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County Public Health Director, said in a statement. “We’re likely to experience the worst conditions in January that we’ve faced the entire pandemic. And that’s hard to imagine.” Read on to see which states have the worst COVID outbreaks in the world, and for more about our rising numbers, check out Dr. Fauci Just Made a Scary Admission About the COVID Surge. Read the original article on Best Life. Cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days: 658 The current outbreak of COVID in California has created one of the grimmest situations anywhere in the U.S., especially in Los Angeles County and southern parts of the state. A new case rate that is four times higher than the previous summertime high has pushed hospitals to the brink, with oxygen supplies for patients running low and ambulance crews being instructed not to bring patients suffering from cardiac arrest and little chance of survival to emergency rooms. Now, officials are urging citizens to follow stay-at-home orders to bring the outbreak under control.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb “While vaccines are a powerful tool, we do not need to wait for vaccines to stop new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and death. We can do that now,” Ferrer said. “It takes every business and every resident to purposefully follow public health directives and safety measures. Please stay home and leave only for essential work or essential services.” And for the tell-tale sign you could be sick, check out This Is the “Strongest, Most Consistent” Sign You Have COVID, Study Says. Cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days: 671 After seeing a significant dip in new cases, the smallest state in the country is now facing one of the biggest COVID outbreaks in the world. Health experts in Rhode Island say that a unique mix of a high nursing home population, high poverty rates, a high college student population, and less adherence to public health guidelines are likely to blame—but the state’s sky-high number of new COVID cases is not something they’re taking lightly, Boston.com reports. “There’s no excuse for it. It’s not a distinction we want,” Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo said last month as the state’s surge worsened. And for more on what your symptoms could be telling you, check out This Is How to Tell If Your Upset Stomach Is COVID, Doctors Say. Cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days: 785 After previously being one of the worst-hit areas in the U.S. during the surge over the summer, Arizona currently holds the unenviable position of the highest rate of new cases anywhere on the planet. The state that was previously hailed as a model of success is now seeing cases spike beyond previous highs, with hospitals becoming overcrowded. Meanwhile, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has refused calls to reinstate public health measures such as stay-at-home orders or a mask mandate. Now, health officials in Arizona fear there are even darker days ahead. “It’s way worse than July already, and it’s going to continue to get worse,” Will Humble, head of the Arizona Public Health Association, told ABC News. And for more regular COVID updates, sign up for our daily newsletter. Cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days: 653 According to data from NBC News, the Czech Republic has the next worst rate of new cases, behind the three aforementioned U.S. states. Comparing country to country, the Czech Republic’s situation eclipses the U.S.’s: The former is seeing 653 new cases per 100,000 people a day on average, while the U.S.’s rate overall is 451 new cases per 100,000, placing it tenth overall. But as the highly contagious U.K. variant begins to spread abroad and across the U.S., many officials worry that things could soon get worse. “It is a very big concern, and it is a strain that is obviously around the world and you are going to find over the days ahead it is in many locations in the United States,” Michael Osterholm, MD, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s COVID-19 task force, told CNBC. And for more information on COVID by state, check out The New COVID Strain Is Now in These 5 States.
