COVID-19 killed more in Florida, Texas in 1 month than hurricanes did in entire US over 20 years
More COVID-19 deaths were reported in Florida and Texas over the span of a month than total deaths caused by hurricanes over a span of 20 years, a stark reminder that the coronavirus pandemic is not over.
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Over the past month and into July, Florida saw roughly 959 deaths and Texas reported 1,097 deaths related to COVID-19. The death toll amounts to 2,056 between both states, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services and Florida Department of Health.
The combined number of deaths in Florida and Texas surpasses the total number of deaths caused by hurricane-related incidents throughout the entire United States over a 20-year span: 1,207, according to data gathered from the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Tornadoes killed 1,468 people across the U.S. over that same 20-year span, according to the NWS and NOAA.
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The Florida Department of Health said the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 9,989 since Tuesday as the virus continued to spread rapidly across the state. The total number of cases in Florida had skyrocketed to nearly 224,000 as of July 8, with the death toll across the state climbing past 3,900.
Texas surpassed 10,000 new COVID-19 cases in a single day Tuesday for the first time, an alarming milestone rarely seen since the pandemic first hit the U.S. in March.
The record high of 10,028 new cases in Texas served as another indicator of the swift resurgence of COVID-19 nationwide and the failures in the country’s response. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas aggressively began one of America’s fastest reopenings in May, but reversed course last week, ordering bars closed and mandating face coverings in much of the state.
Amid the record-breaking days in newly-confirmed case counts in the U.S., Johns Hopkins reported more than 3 million confirmed COVID-19 cases across the country.
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FOX 13 Tampa and FOX 4 contributed to this report.