The number of U.S. daily Covid-19 infections has surpassed 100,000 for the first time, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Data revealed that 102,831 new coronavirus cases were posted on Wednesday, up from 91,530 cases on Election Day.
Moreover, the U.S. reported 1,097 coronavirus deaths Wednesday, lower than the 1,134 deaths posted the previous day. In total, the coronavirus has led to the death of 233,734 people in the U.S.
The figures come after data indicated an increasing number of hospitalizations due to the spread of the virus in many states, according to The Associated Press, with the increase most pronounced in the Midwest and Southwest.
Missouri, Indiana, Oklahoma, Iowa, North Dakota, Nebraska, and New Mexico had record high hospitalizations this week, according to AP. Meanwhile, officials in Iowa and Missouri also pointed out that hospital beds could reach full capacity.
The outbreaks overwhelming hospitals come as the U.S. attends to political uncertainty following Tuesday’s presidential election. The number of more than 100,000 daily cases Wednesday surpassed the previous record of 99,321 cases recorded on Friday.
High daily Covid-19 infections
Jay Butler, the CDC’s deputy director for infectious diseases, said US coronavirus outbreaks are happening “really in all parts of the country,” with high transmission in the Midwest.
“Unfortunately, we are seeing a distressing trend here in the United States,” he told reporters on a call. He said the surge is likely due to the arrival of cooler temperatures, adding, “Smaller, more intimate gatherings of family, friends, and neighbors may be driving transmission as well, especially as they move indoors.”
“I recognize that we are all getting tired of the impact Covid-19 has had on our lives,” he said. “We’re tired of wearing masks, but it continues to be as important as it has ever been and I would say even more important than ever as we move into the fall season.”
According to Butler, the US will likely distribute a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine “very soon,” noting that he is “cautiously optimistic” a vaccine will be given in limited quantities by the end of the year.
Wrong direction
White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNBC in October that the U.S. is “going in the wrong direction” as Covid-19 infections increase in 47 states and hospitals are reaching full capacity.
“If things do not change, if they continue on the course we’re on, there’s gonna be a whole lot of pain in this country with regard to additional cases and hospitalizations, and deaths,” Dr. Fauci said in an interview Wednesday evening on “The News with Shepard Smith.”
However, Dr. Fauci said that cities like Philadelphia and New York are more capable of dealing with the surge, whereas locations in the northwest and heartland may experience difficulty.
“They never had the kind of hospital and intensive care facility and flexibility that some of the larger hospitals in larger cities have,” said Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “They’re concerned that if the trajectory continues, they may be in a position where they are going to be strapped for things like intensive care beds,” said Fauci.
