HHS Sec. Alex Azar: I don't see another shutdown happening
HHS Secretary Alex Azar says we can get back to work and school if we act responsibly
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Thursday he does not foresee states needing to implement new stay-at-home orders despite the surge in new coronavirus cases across the country.
Azar was asked on "America's Newsroom" by host Sandra Smith whether Americans should be concerned that their workplaces could be closed again or their children will be kept home from school in the fall.
"You will see local community mitigation steps depending on circumstances. As I said, the hotspots are in 3 percent of American counties. About 110 counties right now are the ones that we are focused on. We can get back to work, back to school, back to worship and more importantly, back to health care, if we act responsibly as individuals," said Azar, stressing that the vast majority of severe cases are in older Americans and people with three comorbidities like diabetes, obesity or preexisting lung disease.
He said most of the country can resume normal activities while wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
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Azar's comments came after the U.S. hit an all-time high Wednesday in new daily coronavirus cases at 38,672, according to the COVID Tracking Project. Overall, the U.S. has seen more than 2.38 million confirmed cases as of Thursday, according to the Johns Hopkins University heat map.
The U.S. coronavirus death toll is approximately 121,979. Spikes in cases have been reported around the country, with states including Florida, Texas and California particularly hard hit.
Florida saw a record number of cases on Tuesday, according to a report from the state Department of Health. There were 5,508 new coronavirus cases as of midnight on Tuesday and 44 more deaths related to COVID-19.
In Texas, new COVID-19 infections broke the 5,000 mark Tuesday for the first time, a week after they first surpassed 4,000 in a single day. Amid the spike in cases, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that everyone who goes to a state-run testing site will be given a free set of three-ply surgical masks.
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Hospitalizations have also climbed to record numbers in Texas, with the recent spike even prompting the country’s largest children’s hospital to begin admitting adult patients in Houston.
Azar said he is not "minimizing" the situation and that officials must "get to the bottom" of why the virus is spreading in some areas. He said increased testing is leading to "younger, asymptomatic" people being counted as positives.
"We've deployed teams to the county level to work with local leaders and community leaders to figure out why we're seeing this kind of spreading," he added.
Fox News' Kayla Rivas contributed to this report.
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