⁍ The United States is in a new phase of the novel coronavirus outbreak with infections ‘extraordinarily widespread’
Public health officials are trying to work with governors to tailor responses for each state.

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⁍ The coronavirus, which first appeared in China, has infected 4.6 million people in the United States and killed more than 155,000 Americans.

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– “We are in a new phase,” says Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House’s coordinator for coronavirus response. “What we are seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread in rural as well as urban areas. To everybody who lives in a rural area: You are not immune or protected from this virus.” She spoke on CNN’s State of the Union, reports Reuters, adding that if you’re planning a trip to a hot spot, “you really need to come back and protect those with comorbidities and assume you’re infected.” Dr. Brett Giroir, an assistant Health and Human Services secretary, continued to stress the importance of wearing masks: “If we don’t do that, and if we don’t limit the indoor crowded spaces, the virus will continue to run. We are very concerned and this is a very serious point. We are going to all the states, we’re on local radio, we give specific instructions to every governor by county, what they need to do when we start—when those counties start tipping yellow, because that’s the time when you have to stamp it down.”