The Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Dashboard for Saturday morning, June 27, at 7:33 a.m.:

Worldwide cases:  9,866,685     Worldwide deaths: 495,692

U.S. cases: 2,488,037   U.S. deaths:  125,255

According to the Dashboard, the worldwide cases increased by 186,921 in the last 24 hours, and confirmed worldwide deaths grew by 4.957.

According to the Dashboard, the United States has added 43,554  cases in the last 24 hours, and deaths attributed to COVID-19 have increased by 523.

The  Johns Hopkins Dashboard statistics, gathered from numerous sources around the world, show a significant increase in cases both worldwide and in the United States.  The U.S. has more than 25% of the cases in the world.

On Friday, the White House Coronavirus Task Force held its first briefing in two months.  Although Vice President Mike Pence touted the administration’s success in fighting COVID-19, Drs. Debra Birx and Anthony Fauci warned that many states are reaching concerningly high numbers of new cases.  In Houston, TX, for example, hospitals are reaching capacity.  The Governors of Texas and Florida are pulling back on the loosening of restrictions for bars.

Drs. Birx and Fauci said many of the new cases are in young people, who may have no or few symptoms but can spread the virus to others.  Dr. Birx praised young people (ie under 30) for coming in for testing in larger numbers, but both doctors asked young people to focus on wearing masks, social distancing, and hygiene.  They also said the increase in numbers was higher than it should be, even with increased testing.

Although no official announcement has been made, numerous media outlets are reporting that the European Union may bar travelers from the United States because of its increasingly high rate of COVID-19 cases.

Hawaii has 866 cumulative cases, with 705 released from isolation, and 17 new on Friday.   Hawaii Island has 86 cumulative cases, with either 2 (per State DOH) or 3 (per Hawaii County Civil Defense) still active and being monitored.