In an appearance on Good Morning America on July 28, Fauci said that cases in these COVID epicenters “may be cresting and coming back down.” That doesn’t mean their crisis is over—many of these states are still in critical territory. It is, however, a sign that things might be moving in the right direction, at least in some parts of the country. And for the states he thinks we should be concerned about, Dr. Fauci Is Most Worried About These 4 States. After weeks on the rise, The New York Times now lists Florida as a state where “new cases are mostly the same.” According to the experts at Covid Act Now, Florida’s infection rate of 1.01 means “COVID is still spreading, but slowly.” However, the site still puts Florida in the “critical” category, thanks to the state’s 48.1 daily new cases per 100,000 people and a dangerously limited number of ICU beds remaining. As of July 29, the Times reports almost 442,000 COVID cases in Florida, with just over 6,115 deaths. And for states in need of intervention, There Are 3 New States on the White House’s Coronavirus “Red Zone” List.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Like Florida, Texas is another state where the alarming rise seems to have plateaued: The New York Times says “new cases are mostly the same.” And indeed, the infection rate of 0.94 reflects that move in the right direction. Also like Florida, Texas is still listed as “critical” by Covid Act Now. Texas’ daily new case rate of 27.9 cases per 100,000 people is lower than Florida’s, but still a “dangerous number of new cases.” There have been nearly 412,750 coronavirus cases in Texas and 6,515 deaths thus far. And for states that need to reverse course, The White House Is Trying to Stop These 5 States From Becoming Hotspots. Arizona is the only state on this list (and one of the few states overall) that The New York Times includes under the category “new cases are decreasing.” Some experts attribute Arizona stopping its coronavirus surge to mask mandates, social distancing, and re-closings. Local officials have called the closures of bars and nightclubs especially effective. Whatever the reason, Arizona now has the lowest infection rate of these four states: 0.91. As with Florida and Texas, Arizona remains in “critical” territory. The daily new case rate (36.5 per 100,000) and the positive test rate (22 percent) are still very high. But in terms of the big picture, Arizona might be showing the most improvement. To date, the state has had almost 166,000 COVID cases, along with just under 3,425 deaths. And for more up-to-date news, sign up for our daily newsletter. According to The New York Times, “new cases are mostly the same” in California following a dramatic rise that threatened to once again shut down Los Angeles, the primary source of new infections. Unlike the other states Fauci mentioned, California is in Covid Act Now’s “high-risk” category, with a moderate infection rate of 1.04 and a positive test rate (7.8 percent) that “indicates adequate testing.” The numbers are very similar in troubled Los Angeles County, which bodes well for the state’s future. As of July 29, there have been over 474,950 COVID cases in California and more than 8,715 deaths. And for the states we should be focusing on, These 3 States Are the Coronavirus Hotspots No One Is Talking About.