OVERVIEW: At least 161,000 people have died from coronavirus in the U.S.

The overall daily death toll had declined from April through early July, largely because of a sharp decrease in New York and New Jersey. But by July 10, after all states had begun reopening, death numbers had begun to tick up again for the first time since March.

Health officials anticipated the rise because the virus had been accelerating through populous states such as Texas, Florida and California for weeks. Localities reported not only a surge in new cases but also large increases in hospitalizations, crowded ICUs, and a jump in the percentage of positive tests...

The new epicenters are in the Sun Belt, particularly south Florida. Alarmed by the astounding increases and stresses on their healthcare systems, governors in several states have begun to pause reopening plans and in some cases, reimpose restrictions, such as closing bars and restaurants....

Meanwhile, smaller outbreaks continue to arise in summer camps, prisons, factories and other workplaces and on college campuses as athletes showed up for summer workouts.

In the absence of a federal plan to control the virus, some health officials, governors, mayors and corporations have championed the need for wearing masks in hopes of squelching rampant transmission. By mid-July, masks were required not just in hard-hit urban areas but in states such as Oregon and Alabama and in national retail chain Walmart....