New Daily Coronavirus Case Count Breaks 71,000; Highest in 3 Months
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Daily cases of the coronavirus in the United States reached their highest daily level since July on Thursday, led by states in the West and Midwest.
Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University showed the number of new cases hitting 71,671 on Thursday — the highest number since July 24, when 73,107 Americans contracted the virus. The number is just shy of the highest daily figure ever recorded of 77,362 on July 16.
A separate tally, collected by Reuters, suggested Thursday’s number of new infections was even greater, at 76,195.
Due to dramatic increases in testing, it is unlikely the numbers represent a surge in the virus as severe as the one that took place over the summer. A record 1.2 million Americans received tests for the virus on Oct. 19, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project, representing an increase of 41 percent compared to July 16, when 856,567 tests were administered. The group indicated 41,010 people are presently hospitalized as a result of the virus.
Six states also reached a record number of new cases on Thursday: Colorado, Indiana, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Utah. North Dakota and South Dakota are the hardest-hit measured in terms of new infections per capita, followed by Montana and Wisconsin.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden noted the surge and faulted “red states” for it during Thursday evening’s presidential debate for the surge in cases, saying, “Look at the states that are having such a spike in the coronavirus. They’re the red states. They’re the states in the Midwest, they’re the states in the Upper Midwest. That is where the spike is occurring significantly.”
Yet, with some exceptions, the affected states have instituted many of the measures for combating the coronavirus championed by Democrats, including statewide mask mandates. Governors in Colorado, Indiana, Montana, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Wisconsin have each required the use of face coverings indoors; Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) has mandated the use of masks in most of the state’s 29 counties.
Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management Medical Services Director Ben Weston said at a press conference week that medical facilities in his county are housing a record number of coronavirus patients, and that he doesn’t anticipate the infection surge coming to an end in the days ahead. “There are no indications of a slowing of this increase,” Weston said. “There is no flattening of the curve.”
