The United States set a new daily record on Thursday(October 29), reporting more than 90,000 cases of COVID-19 for the first time since the start of the global pandemic. According to a tally by NBC News, there were 90,456 new coronavirus cases as the total number in the U.S. topped nine million. 971 people died, bringing the death toll from the virus to 228,677.
More than 30 states reported 1,000 cases, while 35 states have seen a positivity rate above five percent. According to John Hopkins University, nine states, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Ohio, all reported a record number of cases on Thursday.
The pandemic is surging across Wyoming, which has seen a 650% increase in new cases over the past two weeks.
The number of new cases has soared during the month of October, with 536,131 confirmed cases of COVID-19, an 82.68% increase from September.
More than 46,000 people are hospitalized around the country, which is putting a strain on hospitals as they struggle to deal with the influx of new patients.
Projections by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine warn that the pandemic could get even worse as we move into the winter if states do not take action to mitigate the spread of the virus.
"If states do not react to rising numbers by re-imposing mandates, cumulative deaths could reach 514,000 by the same date," the IHME said in its latest forecast.
"The fall/winter surge should lead to a daily death toll that is approximately three times higher than now by mid-January. Hospital systems, particularly ICUs, are expected to be under extreme stress in December and January in 18 states."
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