Surgeon general says he's 'deeply concerned' as COVID-19 cases reach record highs in Florida

• Surgeon General Murthy said he was "deeply concerned" about Florida, where COVID-19 cases are rising.
• Florida is leading the country in per-capita COVID-19 hospitalizations.
• On Saturday, the state registered more than 21,000 new infections - a record high.

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said Monday that he was "deeply concerned" about Florida - where COVID-19 cases have reached record highs - and other states where infections are increasing.

"I am deeply concerned about what's happening in Florida and certainly many parts of our country with cases rising," Murthy said during an interview on "CBS This Morning."

Florida is leading the country in per-capita COVID-19 hospitalizations with more than 10,000 coronavirus patients, data shows.

The Sunshine State also hit a single-day record for new coronavirus cases on Saturday, with more than 21,000 infections recorded.

"I think what we see time and time again … with COVID-19 is that it's going to throw curveballs at us," Murthy said, adding that the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus "is the latest curveball."

Murthy added: "And what we have to be ready to do is increase our vaccination pace while we are using mitigation measures, including wearing masks."

Read more: Internal CDC document warns 'the war has changed' with the more infectious Delta variant

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its mask guidance and recommended that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear face masks indoors in areas where the coronavirus transmission is high.

"That's one of the reasons the CDC revised its guidance last week to encourage more mask usage because we know it's a powerful way to reduce the spread of the virus while getting vaccination rates up," Murthy said.

Despite surging coronavirus cases in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order last week prohibiting schools in the state from requiring students to wear face masks when they return to classrooms this month.