Arizona has 'lost control of the epidemic' as it becomes a new coronavirus epicenter, experts say

• Arizona is seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases this month and recorded 3,056 new cases on Thursday alone.
• Public health experts and local officials told The Washington Post that Arizona mishandled the pandemic and reopened too quickly.
• Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said on Thursday he was putting the state's reopening "on pause."

The number of COVID-19 cases in Arizona is continuing to rise, and experts say the state has "lost control" of its handling of the virus.

Arizona is now considered an epicenter of the virus, having experienced 63,030 cases of COVID-19 and 1,490 deaths from COVID-19. There were 3,056 new cases reported on Thursday alone, and Arizona is facing more per capita cases recorded than many countries around the world.

"Arizona has lost control of the epidemic," disease trackers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said in a briefing Wednesday, according to The Washington Post.

The hospital said that Maricopa County, which is where Phoenix is located, is recording up to 2,000 cases a day.

The trackers said the number is "eclipsing the New York City boroughs even on their worst days," though at New York City's peak, officials were recording more than 4,000 cases a day, and some days, more than 6,000.

While New York City has nearly contained the virus, with only 85 new cases on Tuesday, COVID-19 is still spreading in many parts of the country.

According to The Post, young people have been heavily impacted by the most recent spread of the virus. Public health experts and local officials told The Washington Post that Arizona didn't take proper steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially after its government started reopening businesses.

"We have failed on so many levels," Dana Marie Kennedy, the Arizona director of AARP, told The Post.

Arizona isn't alone in seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases — Florida and Texas are among several states seeing a rise since reopening.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told states with rising case counts to wait until cases fall for 14 days before reopening.

Since the rise in cases, many Arizona cities have closed bars, enacted mask ordinances, and urged people to social distance.

On June 17, Arizona announced a coronavirus action plan, which increased testing, amplified contact tracing, and enhanced guidelines to limit congregations.

And while Gov. Doug Ducey announced plans to reopen the economy days later, he recently backpedaled his plans.

Ducey said Arizona's economy reopening plan would be "on pause" as coronavirus case numbers "continue to go in the wrong direction."