Infectious Disease Expert Says Miami is the New Wuhan: ‘Now the Epicenter for the Virus’

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Miami has become the new Wuhan, a University of Miami health expert told reporters Monday.

“Miami is now the epicenter for the virus,” Dr. Lilian Abbo, an infectious diseases expert, said at a morning press conference with Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez. “What we were seeing in Wuhan [China] five months ago, we’re now seeing here.”

Abbo delivered the remarks after Florida on Saturday set an all-time daily record for new cases of the coronavirus, with 15,300 patients testing positive. The figure is the highest one-day record of any state in the country. An additional 12,624 tested positive on Sunday.

The state has now experienced an overall total of 282,435 confirmed cases, with 67,713 — or 24 percent — in Miami-Dade County. Of that figure, 4,277 residents have died, or about 1.5 percent of those who have contracted the virus. That figure falls well below a national average of more than 4 percent, though the gap may narrow as new cases of the virus resolve.

The increase comes despite Miami-Dade officials imposing numerous measures to curb the spread of the virus, including an evening curfew and requiring residents to wear face coverings even in outdoor areas. Gimenez additionally said last week that the real number of residents infected may be 10 times greater than the confirmed case count reflects.