Coronavirus: Florida becomes 3rd US state to surpass 1M COVID-19 cases

Florida became the third U.S. state to surpass 1 million novel coronavirus cases Tuesday, trailing only Texas and California.

The 8,847 cases confirmed on Tuesday pushed Florida’s total to 1,008,166 cases, resulting in 18,679 deaths since the pandemic began, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

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Nationwide, total cases approached 13.7 million on Tuesday as virus-related deaths neared 1.5 million, according to the university.

Florida’s grim milestone was announced one day after Gov. Ron DeSantis dug in on plans to keep schools open for in-person instruction in the spring, CNN reported.

“Closing schools due to the coronavirus is the biggest public health blunder in modern American history,” DeSantis said during a Monday news conference.

Meanwhile, the following states have confirmed at least 400,000 COVID-19 cases to date:

Illinois: 738,846 cases, resulting in 13,131 deaths

New York: 655,265 cases, resulting in 34,618 deaths

Georgia: 476,405 cases, resulting in 9,515 deaths

Ohio: 430,093 cases, resulting in 6,548 deaths

Wisconsin: 416,365 cases, resulting in 3,611 deaths

Another nine states have reported at least 300,00 cases, including Michigan, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Indiana, New Jersey, Arizona, Minnesota and Missouri.

Meanwhile, Alabama, Virginia, Louisiana, Colorado, Iowa, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Maryland each has confirmed at least 200,000 cases; Oklahoma, Utah, Kentucky, Washington, Kansas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Nevada, Nebraska, Connecticut and Idaho each has confirmed at least 100,000 cases; New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota, Oregon, Montana, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico each has confirmed at least 50,000 cases; and West Virginia, Delaware, Wyoming, Alaska, the District of Columbia and New Hampshire each has confirmed at least 20,000 cases, followed closely by Hawaii with 18,233.

Click here to see CNN’s state-by-state breakdown.

More coronavirus pandemic coverage:

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>> Coronavirus: CDC updates guidance for COVID-19 testing

>> Dangerous hand sanitizer list up to more than 150 products, FDA announces

>> Wash your masks: How to clean a cloth face covering

>> Fact check: Will masks lower the oxygen level, raise the carbon dioxide in your blood?

>> How to not let coronavirus pandemic fatigue set in, battle back if it does

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