Dr. Anthony Fauci is strongly urging everyone to follow the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended guidance during Labor Day Weekend. While the entire country is at risk of repeating the surge of cases following previous holiday weekends such as Memorial Day and July 4th, residents of seven states in particular, which are currently experiencing upticks in cases, need to be extremely vigilant. "There are several states that are at risk for surging," Fauci revealed in an interview, explaining that the following seven states "are starting to see an increase in the percent positive of their testing; that is generally predictive that there's going to be a problem." Read on, and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had Coronavirus.1 South DakotaThis week South Dakota is experiencing a record number of coronavirus infections, adding 2,432 cases and breaking the record set the previous week of 2,046 cases. Sturgis, South Dakota is home to the annual motorcycle rally, which occurred August 7-16 and involved thousands of people from across the country flooding the town. Health experts maintain that the large gathering has contributed to the state's surge of cases, as well as the increase of cases in other states—particularly those neighboring it—as well. 2 North DakotaSouth Dakota's neighbor to the north is also a concern of Dr. Fauci. While the number of new cases dropped by 26 (from 1826 to 1800) the numbers are still incredibly high for the small state. Their positivity rate is also extremely high, currently topping 20 percent. 3 IowaDuring the week of August 23 to 29 Iowa experienced a record number of infections. While the number has dropped from 8,153 to 7,656, it is still a problem state. 4 ArkansasArkansas has officially entered the red zone, according to White House Coronavirus Task Force guidelines. In the last week they shattered their death record from the previous week (97), reporting 109 coronavirus-related deaths. Governor Asa Hutchinson isn't rushing to make any of the recommended changes by the CDC, which include reducing capacity at restaurants and shutting down bars. "If it makes sense down the road to put in more in restrictions, we will look at those but it's not something we want to do at this time," he said. "We're not seeing any connection to an increase in cases for those economic activities."5 MissouriMissouri is nearing their record high set the week leading up to August 1. This week they reported 9,473 new cases and 97 deaths with a positivity rate of over 13 percent. 6 IndianaAccording to state records, Indiana added 1,110 coronavirus cases in a single day on Wednesday, reporting four deaths. According to Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady, the virus is progressing so rapidly in Indiana that they are reaching the metrics to be added to their travel order. As of Tuesday, they were averaging above 15 cases per 100,000 residents.7 IllinoisWhile Illinois isn't currently shattering any records, they are experiencing a surge of cases on college campuses across the state. Illinois State University has reported that 1,025 students have tested positive since the start of the fall semester two weeks ago—accounting for nearly 5% of the student body. Over at The University of Illinois more than 330 COVID-19 cases were reported in two days on the school's Urbana-Champaign campus.8 How to Avoid COVID-19As for yourself, do everything you can to prevent getting—and spreading—COVID-19 in the first place: Mask up, get tested if you think you have coronavirus, avoid crowds (and bars, and house parties), practice social distancing, only run essential errands, wash your hands regularly, disinfect frequently touched surfaces, and to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, once again don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had Coronavirus.
