US surpasses 3 million coronavirus infections

The United States surpassed 3 million coronavirus infections on Wednesday, a grim milestone as the virus surges in more than half of all states, and a predicted waning of infections this summer never occurred.

Data from the John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center showed the U.S. had 3,009,611 cases at midday on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the U.S. set a record with 60,000 new cases. California and Texas both had more than 10,000 new cases in a single day, shattering previous records.

Arizona, Florida, and South Carolina led the world in new cases over the last seven days, according to New York Times data.

Hospitals in Florida have run out of beds in their intensive care units, even as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) continues to downplay the situation and refuses to release critical information about hospitalizations.

While experts previously predicted a summer lull in infections, that never materialized. Many states, facing pressure from business leaders and from the White House, rushed to reopen without fully anticipating the impact on new infections.

White House coronavirus task force coordinator Deborah Birx on Tuesday said in a Sirius XM interview that states ignored guidelines put in place by federal and local public health officials, and “stepped on the gas” while reopening, causing this new surge.