Blue New York Identified as ‘Top Hot Spot’ of the Coronavirus

New York, which is embracing coronavirus-related restrictions and continuing to implement a statewide mask mandate, has been recognized as a “top hot spot” of the Chinee coronavirus in recent days, reporting roughly 53,000 new cases in the last week.

Both Johns Hopkins University data and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) figures reveal the Empire State topping red states and fellow blue states alike in terms of new reported cases of the virus. The Hill recognized New York as the “top hot spot,” comprising 12 percent of total U.S. cases.

Johns Hopkins data shows New York reporting 53,088 new cases and 539 new deaths. While CDC data separates New York City from the rest of the state in case data, the city alone has reported 25,843 cases in the last seven days, or 307.7 cases per 100,000. The remainder of the state has reported 27,469 cases in the last seven days, or 248.7 per 100,000. Combined, the state has reported 53,339 cases, a figure close to Johns Hopkins data.

While the blue state has eased some restrictions, lifting the curfew for movie theaters and gyms, restrictions have not been entirely lifted.

As of March 19, bars and restaurants in New York City, for example, were permitted to operate only at a 50 percent capacity. Additionally, the entire state remains under a mask mandate, which requires “any individual who is over age two and able to medically tolerate a face-covering” to wear one “when in a public place and unable to maintain, or when not maintaining, social distance.”

Three other blue states round out the top five in new infections, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. While Florida is on the list in terms of volume of new cases, the Sunshine State is on the low end of the scale in terms of new cases per capita. It reported 171.7 cases per 100,000 in the last seven days compared to Michigan’s 471 cases per 100,000, Pennsylvania’s 235.4 cases per 100,000, and New Jersey’s 335 cases per 100,000.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has taken a drastically different approach than his blue state counterparts in addressing the pandemic, lifting business restrictions across his state and refusing to implement a statewide mask mandate.

The U.S. has reported 30.6 million cases of the virus since the start of the pandemic.