(CNN)Health experts have long warned about a second peak in Covid-19, and now a rise in cases has pushed Arizona to tell its hospitals to activate emergency plans. Arizona is one of the 19 states with the trend of new coronavirus cases still increasing. While 24 are trending downward, seven states’ trends are holding steady. Nationally more than 1.9 million people have been infected by the virus and more than 112,000 have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. At its peak, Arizona’s intensive care unit beds were 78% in use. As of Monday, 76% were occupied. Arizona’s Director of Health Services Dr. Cara Christ asked that hospitals “be judicious” in elective surgeries to ensure bed capacity. “We know Covid-19 is still in our community, and we expect to see increased cases,” the Arizona Department of Health Services tweeted Tuesday night. Bed capacity and medical resources were among the top concerns in treating the coronavirus pandemic when the nation first reached a peak. Health experts say it is a matter of when — not if — the country sees another surge in cases that could overwhelm healthcare systems once more. Many states have loosened restrictions that were put in place starting in March to curb the spread of the virus. But with no vaccine and more people congregating in public places and national protests, health experts warn that the high rates of cases seen in the spring may come back. Fears of another spike in cases extend all over the US. North Carolina recently broke the record of the number of people hospitalized with coronavirus, according to the North Carolina Healthcare Association. The reported hospitalizations are at 774. Though there is plenty of capacity left in hospitals, the state is concerned about the trends in hospitalizations that increased when restrictions were first relaxed and then again after Memorial Day weekend, the agency said. And states that were hit hard by the pandemic earlier on remain cautious. With 375 new positive cases and 91 coronavirus-related deaths reported Tuesday, New Jersey’s numbers are improving. But the state does not yet believe it is out of the woods, Gov. Phil Murphy said in a press conference. And Los Angeles is encouraging residents who have attended protests over the death of George Floyd to monitor for symptoms, fearing that the large gatherings could provide the potential for the virus to spread. “You could have an exposure and it will not come through a contact tracing system. Nobody knows that you were there nobody has your name,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said during a press conference on Monday. As states implement measures to manage the pandemic, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci said the road to medical intervention is long. Providing the billions of doses of potential vaccines to everyone around the world who needs them will take the work of researchers around the world, he said in a taped interview with President and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath.