White House warns of uptick in COVID numbers with Florida on list

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Biden is hoping to send COVID-19 vaccines to Cuba, but those already lining up on Friday outside of the White House to demonstrate in support of the U.S. assisting Cuba are asking the president to do more.

In the White House briefing room on Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. State Department is now heading their effort to reconnect Cubans to the internet.

“Returning internet access to Cuba would certainly be something we would love to be a part of,” Psaki said.

This as the Biden administration works to combat misinformation and increase access to vaccines here in the United States.

The Centers for Disease Control reports coronavirus cases are up 70 percent over the last week.

Psaki said the five states with the highest case rate are Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri and Nevada. Four states account for 40 percent of new coronavirus cases with one in five coming from Florida.

Hospitalizations are up 36 percent as deaths from COVID rose by 26 percent and nearly all were unvaccinated.

“That’s why it’s so important for yourself, your family, and your community to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Adviser to President Biden.

The director of the CDC, Rochelle Walensky said: “This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

Experts agree that the recent uptick in cases is due to the contagious Delta variant with a warning that more variants could pop up soon. It’s one more reason why Biden says to get the vaccine.

“The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated,” he said.


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Ben Kennedy is an Emmy Award-winning Washington Bureau Chief for Local 10 News.

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