Trying to prepare for a safe return to school. Its all ahead this hour and we are live from cnn headquarters in atlanta. Welcome to our viewers, here, in the United States and all around the world. Im Natalie Allen and this is cnn newsroom. Thank you for joining us. It has been months since the coronavirus reached the United States. And instead of things calming down, several states are breaking records in numbers of cases and deaths. Overall, the country has recorded more than 4 million cases and rising. And more than 146,000 people have died. Florida is recording big, new numbers. It now has the secondmost infections in the country. It just passed new york, which was an early epicenter. Hospitals are getting overwhelmed, now. And positive test rates are rising. But as all that is happening, florida officials are thinking about when to reopen bars, of all things. The mayor of miami beach explains why that is the wrong foc focus, right now. Every day, in Miamidade County right now, about 200 people go into our hospitals because theyre too sick. 20 to 30 of them will likely die. A good portion of them will end up two weeks on on on in icu. And another portion will be on ventilators and survive. Thats i mean, were normalizing something that should never be normalized. Cnns rosa flores is in miami with more details on the battle there. Florida Governor Ron Desantis maintains that the number of covid19 cases in his state have stabilized. Look. If you look at the numbers this past week, for at least four days, the number of cases hovered at or around 10,000. But in the past two days, theyve exceeded 12,000. I asked an Infectious Disease expert for her take. And she says it is too early to claim victory. She said, row ssa, youve got t look at the hospitalizations. You have got to look at the number of icus being used and we did. Across the state of florida, the number of hospitalizations have increased by 79 , in the past three weeks. This is according to state data. Now, i am in Miamidade County, the epicenter of this crisis in this state. It accounts for 25 of the now more than 400,000 cases in this state. And icus, right now, are operating at 137 . What that means is that there are more patients than there are icu beds. What the county is doing is they are converting beds into icus. Now, weve got to look at ventilator use. The use of ventilators has increased by 62 in the past two weeks. As for the Positivity Rate in this county, its at 19. 7 . The goal for the county is not to exceed 10 . Well, the 14day average, right now, is 19. 4 . Now, this week, we also learned that the state of florida has a shortage of nurses. We learned from the state that 51 hospitals, from across the state, have asked for help. Theyre asking the state of florida to deploy more than 2,400 nurses. Now, despite all these facts and figures, we also learned, today, in a tweet, that florida is thinking about reopening bars. Take a look at this. This is from the florida secretary of business and regulation. He tweeted, quote, next week, starting friday, im going to set meetings throughout florida with breweries and bars to discuss ideas on how to reopen. We will come up with a safe, smart, and stepbystep plan, based on input, science, and relative facts on how to reopen, as soon as possible. Im not sure what relative facts are. But here are the relevant facts involving the state of florida right now and the reopening. Florida closed bars a month ago. Thats when cases exceeded 9,000. Well, that record has been broken. It was broken, two weeks ago, when the state of florida, in one day, exceeded more than 15,000 cases. And the other important data point is to look at the Positivity Rate because that indicates spread. In the past two weeks, the state of florida has had a Positivity Rate ranging from 13 to 18 . Rosa flores, cnn, miami. On the other coast, california has the most official covid19 cases, having past new york a few days ago. The coordinator of the White House CoronavirusTask Force Said friday, that rates were beginning to plateau in california. But the state is scrambling to get the situation under control. Cnns paul is in los angeles. Here, in los angeles county, they are testing, fast and furiously. Including, here, at the charles r. Drew university of medicine and science. They move people through in cars and on foot. And the numbers in l. A. County, rising. This new batch shows that 3,628 new people have tested positive for covid19. There have been 53 new deaths. Now, we need to clarify that l. A. County was warning, all along, that they expected a spike in cases because there was a backlog in the system. They just hadnt counted all the cases, due to a glitch. And the 10 Positivity Rate is, also, better news. But theres still this sort of underlying thing that haunts people in the medical profession. And thats when some people talk about hoaxes or, perhaps, this is just the flu. Well, lets talk to the dean of this university. We can stop this pandemic. We can definitely slow it down. We could probably stop it, by doing a better job of personal responsibility and hygiene. Washing your hands. Using sanitizer. Wearing your mask. Social distancing. Those things work. They absolutely work. And we just need everybody to do it. This is not a political issue. This is a health issue. And its just something we all need to do. And the hospitalizations, steady, here, in l. A. County. They are just above 2,000. And mayor garcetti has threatened further shutdowns, if these numbers do not improve. Reporting from los angeles, im paul vercammon, now, back to you. So, of course, as these cases rise, intensive care units across the United States are feeling the strain, as the numbers keep going up. Many of these medical teams cant keep up, they are so strained. Gary tuchman spent time with healthcare workers on the front lines in a small city in georgia. Ill be with yall in a second. Reporter she is not doing well. A female covid patient. Being transferred from her room, to the intensive care unit, at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in gainesville, georgia. A state where covid deaths have nearly doubled since earlier this month. Its exhausting. Its it has pushed me to my limits. It has shown me that im a lot stronger than i thought i was. Christina heybin is an rn at this hospital, which is in a part of georgia that was in a hot zone, early on, in the covid crisis. But numbers started dropping. The state started reopening. Leading, experts say, to whats happening now. Just when you think that we might be getting ahead of this thing, its going to come back and were starting all over again. Reporter this used to be a corridor for regular hospital inpatients. It has now been transformed into an additional intensive care unit, just for covid patients. Dr. Steven morgan is treating many of them. I have to admit i thought we were probably in the clear. You know, i think a lot of us did. Dr. Morgan says the rising covid numbers make the job more difficult. More fatiguing. He checks on a middleaged covid patient, and is gratified by his progress. Real strong guy. Got started out on some remdesivir, as soon as he came to to the hospital. Reporter but its a very different feeling as registered nurse haybin walks into this room. This man is being treated in a special covid unit. This is not the icu but there is worry that he might end up going there. This person has been here for two days. There is a lot of concern, obviously, for anybody in the covid unit. But particularly, for this man, because hes very ill. He is being given sugar water to keep his blood sugar up, as well as insulin. One of the hardest things is knowing that the last time that that patients family saw them could possibly be the last time that they get to see them. Reporter this Medical Center is prepared for more and more patients being admitted. This unusual looking structure sits in a hospital parking lot. Patients will, soon, start getting moved inside. This rapidlyconstructed hospital addition consists of 44 shipping containers, pieced together. There are 20 rooms for covid patients. Everything that you would get in a traditional hospital room, inside the hospital, we are capable of doing, here, in this unit. Everyone we talk with here expresses pride at what they are doing. But as the numbers go up, so does the concern. And in some cases, fear. Well, i guess you know what posttraumatic stress. Thats thats how i feel. I mean, its like i feel like something that we should be able to prevent from happening. Its like we have no control over it, in reality. And the patients pass away. Its almost like we get so close to them, its like losing a family member. These doctors and nurses, also, consider each other family members. People they work with, fight this virus with, for as long as it takes. Gary tuchman, cnn, gainesville, georgia. Its just hard to put into words the remarkable efforts and work that these frontline healthcare workers are doing for all of us. Texas is rapidly becoming a hot spot for coronavirus in the u. S. , the state ranks fourth in overall case count. The virus has taken a terrible toll on houston. Here is, yet another, view of what these healthcare workers are up against in the icu. Nearly 400 people have died in there. The mayor spoke with Cnns Wolf Blitzer about the loss his city has suffered. We have reported 386 people who have died in the city. Not the county but in the city of houston. 151 of those deaths came just in the month of july. We have had more people to die in july than march, april, may, june, combined. Each month, the number goes up and up and up. And now, they have this to deal with in texas. Some of the hardhit areas in the state now are dealing with a hurricane. Hanna made landfall saturday with sustained winds of 90 Miles Per Hour. This was the scene in Port Mansfield, texas. The governor has issued disaster declarations for 32 counties after more than a foot of rain fell, in some areas. Storm shelters are being set up. And with coronavirus rampant in the state, authorities are taking every safety precaution. Joining us now, to talk more about it, is derek van dam. Derek, this hurricane. You warned us about it but here it is. And i cant imagine what Health Authorities and people setting up shelters are dealing with, when you think of the virus as well, rampaging across the state. Yeah. Without a doubt, natalie. In fact, i was reading a New York Times article and they identified the state of texas as having one of the highest hospitalization rates for coronavirus. And then, of course, you add in a hurricane. We, in this business, refer to that as a threat multiplier. Think about the resources that are going to be stretched so thin. And not to mention just what people are dealing with there. I mean, speaking of the consequences of a hurricane impacting a state under a pandemic. Well, here it is. You can see some of the footage coming out of Port Mansfield behind me. The winds clocking at 90 Miles Per Hour in the city as landfall occurred. Around 5 00 p. M. Earlier today, you can see some of the trees swaying over. Lets get to the details. This was the latest radar imagery when it made landfall, again, with winds at 90 Miles Per Hour. A category 1 hurricane that formed within the gulf of mexico, really, within a 36hour period. The good news. The Silver Lining is that the storm is going to just dissipate over extreme southern texas and into northeastern sections of mexico. But, at the time being, we still have a formidable storm thats still moving inland, with a defined eye. You can see it clearly here on our radar imagery. Thats now just entering the border of texas and mexico. So right along the rio grande. You can see the Rio Grande River that continues to see the heaviest of rainfall and the center of the storm moving through. Now, speaking of heavy rain, we have a rainfall accumulation map. And radar imagery, this day and age, is able to pick up just how much rain has fallen or an estimate at least. And we talking about over a foot of rain on south padre island, with more rain in store as this is still continuing to produce significant amounts of precipitation, as it moves to the south and west. On top of the flash flood threat that we have tonight, we have the potential for some spinup tornados, which is very common with a land falling hurricane of this nature. But look at the winds just dissipate over the next 12 to 24 hours. In fact, National Hurricane center, as of 2 00 a. M. , has just dropped the hurricane warnings for south texas. Now, its just Tropical Storm warnings. Also, they have noted the weakening trend as well. But buckle your seatbelts because we have an active period ahead of us. Check this out. 80 chance of development within the next five days. We have shaded that here with that hashing. And then, across the central pacific, we still have hurricane douglas that is veering towards the Hawaiian Islands as we speak we have Tropical Storm warnings for the majority of the state. With hurricane warnings in place for oahu, including honolulu. I think, natalie, youve been there before. Yes, i have. Going to be a different scene with a hurricane. Very popular spot, you know. So all right. We know youll be watching it. Thank you. Thinking about the people in texas as well. Thanks, derek. At this hour, protestors in portland continue to rally for justice. But with federal agents in the city, there are tense moments. Well update you on the situation there. Also, for the First Time Since the beginning of the pandemic, north korea indicates it has a case of coronavirus. Well have more on that, coming up. Ended wdamaged hairfor dry, with lush honey and propolis known to nourish and repair as a whole blend, it helps heal damage to the ends blended makes us better whole blends by garnier, naturally today, were talking with sara. Hey lily, im hearing a lot about 5g. Should i be getting excited . Depends. Are you gonna want faster speeds . I will. More reliability . Oh, also yes. Better response times . Definitely. Are you gonna be making sourdough bread . Oh, is that 5g related . No, just like why is everyone making sourdough now [laughs]. But yes, youre gonna want 5g. At t is building 5g on americas best network. Visit att. Com to learn more. How does the world reopen for business . To return to the workplace, safely, companies will need the right tools. Thats why salesforce created work. Com its an allnew suite of apps, expertise, and services. To manage this crisis today, and thrive tomorrow. Everything Companies Need to return to the workplace. Lets reopen. Safely. I have the power to lower my blood sugar and a1c. Because i can still make my own insulin. And trulicity activates my body to release it like its supposed to. Onceweekly trulicity is for type 2 diabetes. Its not insulin. It starts acting from the first dose. And it lowers risk of heart attack, stroke, or death in people with known Heart Disease or multiple risk factors. Trulicity isnt for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. Dont take trulicity if youre allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. Stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, changes in vision, or diabetic retinopathy. Serious side effects may include pancreatitis. Taking trulicity with sulfonylurea or insulin raises low blood sugar risk. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, belly pain, and decreased appetite, which lead to dehydration and may worsen kidney problems. Were committed to helping ensure trulicity is available and affordable. Learn more at trulicity. Com. Just out of quarantine, brazils president , Jair Bolsonaro took a spin saturday. Interacting with people without a mask, even though he tested positive coronavirus three times. Cnns Nick Peyton Walsh is in sa sao paulo. President bolsonaro, who many accuse of putting statements out that, frankly, have exacerbated brazils pandemic. Early in the morning, he put out a message saying hed tested negative. In that tweet photograph, he was seen brandishing, as he has done over the past weeks, what seemed to be a packet of hydroxychloroquine. A medicine that doctors say, frankly, is useless in fighting coronavirus. May even be harmful. But hes still been advocating for it. Possibly, in that post as well. Afterwards, it seemed he went on his motorcycle to visit a repair shop. He was seen briefly not wearing a mask, although he was wearing a visor and motorcycle helmet. But the damage the lockdown does to stop the virus mustnt outweigh the damage the virus does, itself. And contradicting statements that he experienced a fever, he said he wouldnt even have known he had the virus, unless he had a positive test. Startling comments, frankly, to hear from a man who, later, went on twitter to talk about a freedom of speech case in the country here. A distraction from the terrifying numbers being seen in the country every day. Over the past three days, every day, we have seen over 50,000 new cases. 51,000, in 24 hours, reported that ended saturday. And thats according to one study that was government funded. They cut the funding beijust th week. Those numbers may only be a sixth of the full picture here because you get a test, you have to have pretty bad symptoms, here, in brazil. Its badina in the south. Yet, through all these increasingly bad numbers, president Jair Bolsonaro has exacerbated the problem. And now, positive, negative diagnosis, coming through this with good health, it seems, may in fact encourage him to play down the damage as far as its doing to brazil. Nick peyton walsh, cnn sao paulo. Travelers from norway and britain