The coronavirus outbreak throughout the United States is continuing to shatter records, sending shockwave across the nation's health care system as the country moves into a more uncertain future. On Tuesday, Alabama, Florida and North Carolina all surpassed their respective daily totals for COVID-19 deaths, with new hospitalizations in outbreak areas continuing to surge, ushering in an omen for the second wave of fatalities that is anticipated from the six week growth in new infections in southern and western states.

However, the U.S. does not have to just surrender to the spread of the coronavirus, for there is still a chance the country can bring the spread under control with sweeping public health measures. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) Director Dr. Robert Redfield stated on Tuesday that if every citizen in the United States began wearing masks in all public situations, the country will be able to mostly contain its outbreak in about two months.

"The time is now," Redfield stated. "I think if we could get everybody to wear a mask right now, I think in four, six, eight weeks we could bring this epidemic under control."

This statement comes during an interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association's Dr. Howard Bauchner discussing the C.D.C.'s newly published study that urges policymakers to require public facial coverings to reduce the virus's untamed spread.

Total Global Cases: Over 13.4 Million

Total Deaths: Over 581,000

Total Recovered: Over 7.84 Million

Testing...1...2...3

The manufacturing giant 3M (MMM  ) announced on Tuesday that it will be partnering with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop and produce a rapid, widely accessible coronavirus antigen test. The rapid test will produce results within minutes, cutting down on long waiting periods between test administration and results.

"We are seeking to improve the speed, accessibility and affordability of testing for the virus, a major step in helping to prevent its spread," 3M Chief Technology Officer John Banovetz stated, quoted by Reuters.

The partnership is aiming to have new tests available for use by early fall, with 3M stating that it could scale manufacturing to produce millions of tests per day.

Vaccine Check-Up

Moderna (MRNA  ) published a preliminary report for its early-stage clinical trials of its potential coronavirus vaccine in the New England Journal of Medicine on Tuesday, demonstrating that the vaccine is both safe and effective in producing an immune response. The vaccine is actually so effective that it had produced immune system responses in all 45 healthy volunteers that participated in the study, with no serious adverse side effects.

The results published on Tuesday involved three doses of the biotech's mRNA-1273 candidate, with 15 participants receiving two does, 28 days apart. The groups were tested with 25, 100 or 250 micrograms of the potential vaccine. The study concluded that no matter the dosage, patients produced high levels of COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies that exceeded average levels of recovered patients of the virus.

Moderna was the first company to begin human trials of its potential vaccine back in March, only a few months after the virus's genetic sequence was mapped out by scientists.

The company also announced on Tuesday that it would begin its late-stage clinical trial for mRNA-1273 on July 27, sticking to its previous goal of beginning in July. That trial will enroll about 30,000 participants in 87 locations across the United States with participants receive one 100 microgram doses of the candidate on the first and 29 day of the trial.