June 16, 2020 / By Antonia Noori Farzan, Jennifer Hassan, Lateshia Beachum, Kim Bellware, Adam Taylor, Hamza Shaban, John Wagner, Brittany Shammas, Meryl Kornfield, Samantha Pell and Candace Buckner
Days after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) waved off concerns about a growing coronavirus outbreak, the state Tuesday tallied its highest single-day count of new cases at 2,783, according to data tracked by The Washington Post.
Totals for Florida’s seven-day average of new cases have hit record highs for the past nine days; a week ago, the state’s one-day total of new cases was 1,096. The average of hospitalizations is up as well, and Florida is reporting a U.S.-high 55 deaths on Tuesday, up from seven on Monday. 
The state’s infection totals have steadily grown since the start of June, roughly two weeks after its “full phase-one” reopening plan began.
Meantime, President Trump on Tuesday predicted that by the end of the year, there will be a coronavirus vaccine, therapeutic and cure — a rosy scenario that he claimed would be accompanied by a robust economic recovery.