Live updates: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Nevada hit new highs in daily coronavirus cases

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The grim reality of the novel coronavirus continued to batter states facing rising infections, with Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Nevada hitting new highs in daily cases reported, while Arizona set a record on current hospitalizations. More than 41,000 new cases have been reported nationally as of 4:15 p.m. Saturday, the second day in a row that new cases have risen above 40,000.

The numbers come as officials across the country moved to slow their reopenings, with beaches in Florida’s Miami-Dade County closing over the Fourth of July weekend.

Facing a surge of new coronavirus cases, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott expressed regret for allowing bars to reopen so early, saying Friday that he did not realize how fast the virus would spread.

Here are some significant developments:

• The United States on Friday set a single-day record for new cases for the third day in a row, with 44,702 reported. Thirteen states set their own records for the average number of new cases reported over the past seven days.
• A federal judge in California on Friday cited coronavirus outbreaks when ordering the release of migrant children being held with their parents at the country’s three family detention facilities.
• An Oklahoma journalist who covered President Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa last week said he tested positive for the coronavirus.
• Vice President Pence, in the first public briefing of the coronavirus task force in nearly two months, offered no new strategies to combat the rapidly spreading virus.
• Europe is preparing to reopen to foreign travelers, but Americans don’t even figure into the discussion.
• The surge of infections happening in several states is a “disturbing trend” that complicates locating the source of an outbreak, Anthony S. Fauci, the top U.S. infectious-disease expert, said Friday.

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