U.S. sees record-breaking number of new cases; California still flat.
ATLANTA — The U.S. reported more than 77,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, breaking the previous record set in July.
Nationwide, 77,640 cases were reported Thursday, exceeding the July 29 number of 75,723, according to NBC News.
According to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, the U.S. continues to have the world’s highest number of confirmed cases — 8.4 million — and deaths, more than 223,000.
Globally, almost 42 million coronavirus cases have been reported, with a worldwide death toll of more than 1.1 million.
Seven-day rolling averages for daily new U.S. coronavirus cases have reached nearly 60,000, the highest levels since July.
According to Johns Hopkins, more than 8.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported in the U.S. since the pandemic began, more than any other nation. The U.S. also has the world’s highest coronavirus death toll, standing at more than 221,000.
Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming all set seven-day case records Tuesday. New Jersey has seen cases double during the last month.
The latest COVID-19 surges are happening as the Nov. 3 election approaches, results of which are likely to be interpreted as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus.
Nationally recognized health experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue warning Americans to forgo traditional autumn and winter activities such as Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Last week, Fauci said Americans would be wise to limit any planned Thanksgiving travel plans this year, due to risks of spreading the coronavirus.
Dr. Jay Butler, deputy director for infectious diseases for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday the United States is seeing a “distressing trend” with COVID-19 cases growing in nearly three-quarters of the country.
“We’re seeing cases increase in really all parts of the country — in the Midwest, particularly — likely in part because people are moving indoors with the arrival of cooler temperatures,” Butler told reporters at a briefing at CDC headquarters in Atlanta.