“I’m actually really worried about indoor transmission.”
/Credit: David McNew/AFP/Getty Images
By Umair Irfan | Vox
A heat wave is baking much of the United States with some of the highest temperatures forecasted in Southwestern states battling some of the most troubling coronavirus outbreaks in the country.
Related: Arizona to receive shipment of experimental coronavirus drug
Arizona, for instance, is currently suffering from one of the worst outbreaks of Covid-19 with the highest daily reported cases per capita in the country. Meanwhile, Phoenix hit a high of 115 degrees Fahrenheit in recent weeks, and the National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for the region through the weekend.
Parts of Texas are also experiencing extreme heat, with temperatures rising into triple digits in cities like El Paso. The Covid-19 outbreak in the state has also worsened in recent weeks, with more than 10,000 new cases reported on Tuesday, beating a previous record.
These states were among those that began relaxing some of their pandemic control restrictions, like closing non-essential businesses, before infection rate had a chance to decline. Now, as the number of new infections and hospitalizations has surged, governors of these states have reimposed some measures and implemented new ones, like mandatory facemasks.
