Birx: US Entering New Phase as Virus Becomes More 'Widespread'

U.S. cases rose by 58,908, the least in five days, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and Johns Hopkins University. Deaths increased by 946, rising by less than 1,000 for the first time in five days. White House coronavirus task force coordinator Deborah Birx cautioned that the virus is “extraordinarily widespread.”

Birx warned all Americans to take the virus seriously, saying it’s now spreading rapidly across rural and urban areas.

"What we are seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread. It's into the rural as equal urban areas," Birx told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union."

America is on the move during the summer vacation season and people need to recognize the risks, including protecting vulnerable people when they come home, Birx said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Measures to reduce the spread in the U.S. South and West appear to be starting to have an effect, Birx said, citing Arizona as an example.

"To everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus," Birx said. "If you're in multi-generational households, and there's an outbreak in your rural area or in your city, you need to really consider wearing a mask at home, assuming that you're positive, if you have individuals in your households with comorbidities."

"This epidemic right now is different and it's more widespread and it's both rural and urban," she added.