In Miami 27% of coronavirus tests are coming back positive — a stark example of how the US outbreak is exploding again

• 27% of coronavirus tests came back positive in Miami-Dade county, Florida, on Wednesday.
• It is the second day in a row where more than a quarter of tests were positive. It makes Miami a standout example of how much of the US is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases.
• Florida also reported an all-time high on Wednesday, with 5,511 new cases. California and Texas are also experiencing spikes.
• Florida began to reopen at the end of April, when daily cases stood at 347. But scientists say the state now shows "all the markings of the next large epicenter of coronavirus transmission," according to PennLive.

The rate of positive coronavirus tests in and around Miami, Florida, has surged to 27% — marking it as one of the starkest examples of the resurgent US coronavirus outbreak.

On Wednesday, Miami-Dade county recorded 957 positive cases from 3,559 tests — a rate of 26.89%. The day before the rate had been 25.9%, sharply up from the preceding days.

The figure is more than double the county's target for positive tests, which is 10%.

Miami's number of tests has been gradually trending downwards, which would explain some of the increase in the numbers coming back positive.

But the absolute number of positive tests has also trended upwards, suggesting a more serious problem than limited capacity. The city's mayor on Tuesday announced that police would enforce mask-wearing in public places.

It came as the wider state of Florida, as well as other hotspots like Texas and California, experienced record levels of transmission.

A report from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania said that Florida shows "all the markings of the next large epicenter of coronavirus transmission," according to PennLive.

Florida on Wednesday recorded an all-time high of 5,511 new cases. California and Texas have also reported major increases.

California broke records for new cases on two consecutive days on Monday and Tuesday, reporting all-time highs of more than 5,000 and 7,000 cases respectively, according to CNN.

In Texas, more than 5,000 new cases were registered on Wednesday — also breaking records — with doctors fearing for hospital capacity, according to NBC News.

The Texas Hospitals Association said in a statement that hospitals are currently managing, local site KLTV reported. "But if this trend continues, it is not sustainable," read the statement.

Together, these trends have helped propel the US to its all-time highest total for new cases Wednesday, of 36,000.

Health experts said Thursday that the renewed spread of the virus is likely a result of too-early relaxation of lockdown rules, the Associated Press reported.