Arizona recorded more coronavirus deaths, infections and emergency-room admissions in a single day than ever before in a rapidly deepening crisis Wednesday across the Sunbelt that sent a shudder through other parts of the country and led a number of states to put their reopening plans on hold. Coronavirus cases continued to increase in hard-hit states like Arizona and Florida where expanding outbreaks have shifted the pandemic’s epicenters to the South and the West ahead of the July Fourth holiday. On Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence planned to visit Arizona, where cases have spiked after stay-at-home orders expired in mid-May.

The AP plans the following coverage today of the virus outbreak. For up-to-the minute information, visit AP Newsroom’s coverage hub at https://newsroom.ap.org/page/Coronavirus Find AP Virus Alerts here

SENT/DEVELOPING:

VIRUS OUTBREAK: New York City and states that likewise seemed to have tamed their coronavirus outbreaks are hitting pause on some of their reopening plans because of the alarming surge in reported infections across the Sun Belt and other parts of the U.S. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-PUBLIC HEALTH: The U.S. public health system has been starved for decades and it lacks the resources to confront the worst health crisis in a century. An investigation by The Associated Press and KHN finds that since 2010, spending for state public health departments has dropped by 16% per capita and by 18% per capita for local health departments. SENT: 3230 words, photos, interactives. An 1100-word abridged version has moved. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-PUBLIC HEALTH TAKEAWAYS and VIRUS OUTBREAK-PUBLIC HEALTH-METHODOLOGY.

ECONOMY-JOBS REPORT-FIVE THINGS TO WATCH: With the viral outbreak worsening and unemployment still at Depression-era levels, the government on Thursday will issue what’s expected to be a second straight blockbuster monthly jobs report. Yet even though the job gain for June could total a record 3 million, that would still leave tens of millions of people jobless and unemployment still likely in double-digits. And the resurgence of the virus is threatening to slow or even reverse the progress. Here are five things to watch for Thursday. SENT: 1000 words, photos.

FEDERAL RESERVE-MINUTES: Federal Reserve officials last month expressed concerns about the severity of the economic downturn triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. They said the drop in economic activity in the spring would likely be the steepest in the post-World War II period. SENT: 460 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS: Stocks are winding up with a mixed finish on Wall Street, even as gains for technology stocks pushed the Nasdaq to another record close. SENT; developing.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-PROTEST CASES: There is little evidence that the protests that erupted after George Floyd’s death caused a significant increase in coronavirus infections, according to public health experts and an Associated Press analysis of virus testing data. SENT: 730 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TIMBUKTU: COVID-19 has made its way to Timbuktu, whose name has long been synonymous with the ends of the Earth. There are now more than 500 cases in this isolated town in northern Mali that lacks even a single ventilator for patients with the disease. SENT: 825 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-LEBANON EXPATRIATES: Beirut’s airport is partially reopening after a three-month shutdown and Lebanon’s cash-strapped government is hoping that thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer, injecting dollars into the country’s sinking economy. SENT: 990 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-PENCE-ARIZONA: A masked Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Arizona as the state broke its own records with skyrocketing coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. SENT; developing.

TRUMP-RUSHMORE: When President Donald Trump speaks at the Mount Rushmore national memorial before the first fireworks show there in years, he’ll stand before a crowd of thousands of people who won’t be required to socially distance or wear masks despite the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 910 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICHIGAN: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is closing indoor seating in bars in parts of the state, including a city with a bar that has been linked to a rising number of infections. SENT; developing.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA: California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered a three-week closure of bars and indoor operations of restaurants certain other businesses in Los Angeles and 18 other counties as the state deals with increasing cases of COVID-19. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA PRISONS: California lawmakers harshly criticized state corrections officials for botching the handling of the pandemic by inadvertently transferring infected inmates to a virus-free prison.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says he is delaying the planned resumption of indoor dining at restaurants in the city out of fear it would ignite a a spike in coronavirus infections. SENT: 580 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-NYC-EATING OUTSIDE-PHOTO GALLERY.

MEDIA-CNN'S RISE: A busy stretch of news with the coronavirus pandemic and racial demonstrations in the United States has led CNN to its best ratings in the network’s 40-year history. SENT: 600 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-SPORTS VENUES: Basketball icon LeBron James and his voting rights group, formed this spring with other black athletes and entertainers, are joining with other professional basketball leaders and Michigan’s top elections official to push for mega voting sites to accommodate in-person balloting amid the COVID-19 pandemic. SENT: 640 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-US HOARDING: Health experts have slammed the U.S. decision to hog nearly the entire global supply of remdesivir, the only drug licensed so far to treat COVID-19, warning that type of selfish behaviour sets a dangerous precedent for attempts to share scarce treatments amid the pandemic. SENT: 590 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MASK POLITICS: In Republican circles -- with the notable exception of the man who leads the party -- the debate about masks is over: It’s time to put one on. SENT: 990 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NURSING HOMES: A report from Senate Democrats finds that the Trump administration was slow to comprehend the scale of COVID-19′s impact on nursing homes and a disjointed federal response only compounded the devastating toll. SENT: 840 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SECURITY COUNCIL: The U.N. Security Council is demanding an “immediate cessation of hostilities” in key conflicts including Syria, Yemen, Libya, South Sudan and Congo to tackle COVID-19. SENT: 770 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN ECONOMY: Companies linked to hospitality and travel in Britain are shedding thousands of jobs as the longer term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic take hold, choosing to slim down for survival rather than await potential government handouts. SENT: 580 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-DEATH CAFES: Death Cafes, part of a movement to encourage more open discussion of grief, trauma, death and dying, are being held around the world as people cope with death during the pandemic. SENT: 1000 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-PAPA IN EXILE: Enjoying grandchildren is supposed to be one of the sweetest seasons of life. Enter the coronavirus pandemic, which separated one writer and his immunocompromised wife from the grandsons they’d just moved across state lines to live closer to. SENT: 610 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA-VACCINE PROTEST: Protesters against Africa’s first COVID-19 vaccine trial burned their face masks Wednesday as experts note a worrying level of resistance and misinformation around testing on the continent. SENT: 920 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA: Thailand has begun a fifth phase of relaxations of COVID-19 restrictions. It is allowing the reopening of schools and high-risk entertainment venues such as pubs and massage parlors that had been shut since mid-March. SENT: 840 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-VIRUS SPREAD: An Associated Press analysis of coronavirus case data shows the virus has moved — and is spreading quickly — into Republican areas, a new path with broad potential political ramifications. SENT: 780 words, photos.

ALSO:

VIRUS OUTBREAK-FORT BRAGG: The U.S. Army has quarantined 90 soldiers and instructors who tested positive for the coronavirus during a survival course at Fort Bragg. SENT: 180 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ISRAEL: Israel’s parliament has approved a law granting the country’s internal security agency limited authority to use phone surveillance to track coronavirus cases. SENT: 320 words.

MEXICO-SPORTS CANCELLATIONS: For the first time in almost a century, Mexico has cancelled its professional baseball season. SENT: 180 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NETHERLANDS-RED LIGHT DISTRICT: It isn’t quite business as usual as Amsterdam’s red-light district emerges from a coronavirus lockdown, but it’s close. SENT: 290 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BURUNDI: Burundi’s new president has signaled that his government will take the coronavirus pandemic more seriously than his dead predecessor, calling the virus the country’s “worst enemy” and announcing new screenings. SENT: 250 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CROATIA TOURISM: A train carrying about 500 tourists from the Czech Republic and Slovakia has arrived to Croatia as the country seeks to attract visitors after easing lockdown measures against the coronavirus. SENT: 260 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ZIMBABWE PARK: Zimbabwe has reopened its national parks to the public and allowed restaurants to serve food within their premises, some relief for the country’s hospitality sector struggling from restrictions to combat the new coronavirus. SENT: 270 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPAIN-PORTUGAL: The leaders of Spain and Portugal are marking the reopening of their land border, more than three months after shutting it because of the new coronavirus outbreak. SENT: 270 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-AUSTIN CITY LIMITS: Austin City Limits has joined the ranks of major music festivals that have been canceled because of the coronavirus. SENT: 160 words, photos.

PEOPLE-21 SAVAGE: Rapper 21 Savage says he will launch a free online financial literacy education program for youth sheltered at home during the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 140 words, photos.

INTERACTIVES/GRAPHICS:

-US cases county-by-county. Embed code can be found in Coverage Plan. A static graphic also will be available in AP Newsroom.

-State trends (table): Trends in new cases and positivity rates for each U.S. state over the past 14 days.

-Case count (table): Searchable table of confirmed cases, including recoveries and deaths, by country, updated each hour.

-Interactive breakdown of unemployment filings by state with time scale for each (going back as far as 2000)

-Virus Europe Spread (map): An auto updating European map tracking the total confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths from coronavirus.

Additional graphics and interactives include:

- Flattening the Coronavirus Curve (Chart): Chart compares the cumulative cases over time in some of the hardest hit countries by coronavirus.

-Virus Global Spread (table): Table of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Table also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus Global Spread (Map): Map of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Map also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus US State Map: State by state count of confirmed cases in the U.S.

-Virus US State Table: Table tracks the number of cases, recoveries and deaths for the US including its territories.

-Status of Cases Worldwide: Auto-updating once a day, this chart tracks the levels of active cases and deaths from COVID-19 around the world over time.

PHOTOS:

AP photos have moved from South Africa, Portugal, Indonesia, Croatia, Greece, Lebanon, Austria, India, Japan, various US, Latin America locations.

VIDEO:

AP video has moved from Greece, Lebanon, China, Japan, Jordan, Austria, various US, Latin America locations.