Axios

A choir of more than 100 people performed without masks at an event featuring Vice President Mike Pence at First Baptist Church in Texas on Sunday, CNN reports.

Why it matters: A May study from the CDC warned about the danger of "superspreader" events after 87% of a 122-person choir in Washington state tested positive for the coronavirus. "The act of singing, itself, might have contributed to transmission through emission of aerosols, which is affected by loudness of vocalization," the report found.

Sunday saw the world hit two grim global coronavirus milestones — 10 million confirmed cases and 500,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins.

Why it matters: The world may now be past peak lockdown — with economies reopening from Spain to South Africa — but it has not seen the worst of the virus. More than one in five cases recorded during the entirety of the pandemic came in the last two weeks alone.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, urged President Trump on CNN Sunday to wear a face mask "when it's appropriate" to help end the political debate over wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic.

Why it matters: Studies show that wearing masks can help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but efforts to encourage mask wearing have been complicated by political partisanship and distrust in public health advice.

Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that surging coronavirus cases across the Sun Belt are a result of "community spread that's been underway for some time" and that even if states take aggressive action to curb the spread now — which they're not — cases will continue to grow for weeks.

Why it matters: Skyrocketing cases in Florida and Texas have caused state leadership to hit pause on parts of their reopening plans. But Gottlieb argued that the piecemeal actions these new hotspots are taking, like closing bars, are far weaker than stay-at-home orders and will only have a "marginal" impact that may not manifest for weeks.

Vice President Mike Pence, head of the White House coronavirus task force, pushed back on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday against claims that the new surge of coronavirus cases is a result of states reopening too quickly.

Why it matters: Public health experts, including the task force's own Anthony Fauci, largely agree that increased mobility and social contact stemming from the lifting of lockdown restrictions are driving spikes in infections.

Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told "Fox News Sunday" that the new surge in coronavirus cases is the result of states lifting their lockdown measures too quickly.

Why it matters: Florida, Arizona, Georgia, South Carolina and Nevada reported new daily coronavirus case records on Saturday, while the country as a whole reported more than 45,000 new cases on June 26 alone, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that a national mandate to wear face masks in public is "definitely long overdue," and she urged President Trump to set an example by wearing one. "Real men wear masks," she added.

Why it matters: Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends but does not require people to wear masks in public — despite massive spikes in new coronavirus cases around the United States.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar warned on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that the "window is closing" for the U.S. to take action and get the coronavirus under control, calling the current state of the outbreak a "very, very serious situation."

Why it matters: Azar's rhetoric stands in stark contrast to that of President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who claimed at a press briefing on Friday that the U.S. has "flattened the curve" and that much of the surge in new cases is attributable to an increase in testing.

The number of novel coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 10 million on Sunday morning as the death toll nears 500,000, Johns Hopkins data shows.

Driving the news: North America, Latin America and Europe each constitute about one-quarter of infections, per Reuters, citing government reports. Asia has reported about 11% and the Middle East 11% and 9% of all cases.

Florida reported 9,585 new coronavirus cases on Saturday — surpassing the state's previous record of 8,942 infections in a single day, set last Friday, per the Washington Post.

By the numbers: Florida's total number of cases stands at over 130,000 as of Saturday night. The state confirmed nearly 9,000 the previous day.

More congressional Republicans are advocating for face coverings and rigorous testing for the novel coronavirus, per the Wall Street Journal.

Why it matters: Cases are surging in several Republican-led states — notably in Florida, Arizona and Texas, and scientific evidence shows face coverings can help control the spread of COVID-19.