This is the reality:
Corona infections are progressing rapidly in the Sunbelt, the southern region of the US. In the states of Florida, Texas and Arizona, the maximum capacity of hospitals has almost been reached. Sometimes there are no free IC beds anymore.
Currently, 41 states are experiencing an increase in the number of confirmed cases. The percentage of positive tests is also going up in 39 states. In Florida, that has risen to 18 percent. In absolute figures, that meant 11,400 new cases on Saturday. In total, there are now over 200,000 diagnosed Covid-19 infections.
Other Sunbelt states - Arizona, Texas and California - have also been hit hard. In California, the number of hospitalizations has increased by 56 percent in the past two weeks and the number of confirmed cases by 53 percent.
Hospitalizations are also on the rise in Florida. Last week, this involved 1,700 hospital admissions compared to 1,200 the week before. In the Saint Petersburg region of Florida, five hospitals no longer had IC beds available. "If we keep going at this speed, we don't have enough breathing machines and rooms," predicts David De La Zerda, director of Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.
The same story in Texas. The state first went over 8,000 hospitalizations this weekend, which is more than fourfold in the past month. In Houston, hospitals have exceeded maximum capacity. Two very ill patients were flown to hospitals in other regions.
Arizona also recorded a record 3,200 hospitalizations of Covid-19 patients. Across the state, hospitals occupancy is at 89 percent. There are now over 100,000 confirmed corona cases. More than 62,000 of them are under 44 years old.
South Carolina is gearing up to provide 3,000 extra beds in hotels and sports halls. Alabama is seeing a doubling to tripling the number of new infections and is now averaging 1,000 a day.