Coronavirus US News: Daily Cases Hit New High; 100,000 A Day Looms

The U.S. is less than 50,000 cases away from logging 9 million coronavirus infections after officials reported more than 87,000 new COVID-19 cases Thursday night.

Authorities recorded a new single-day high of 87,164 coronavirus cases, breaking the previous record of 83,731 set six days ago. The large number came as the U.S. inches closer to recording 9 million coronavirus cases just nine months after the pandemic began. It is also the third time in a week that the single-day record was broken, NBC News reported.

Health officials also reported 996 coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday, bringing the country's total death toll to 228,636, according to Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard.

The coronavirus death toll could hit 256,000 over the next four weeks. An ensemble forecast by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also indicated that the number of new weekly deaths might even exceed 6,000 by Nov. 15.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the Trump-appointed former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said the 100,000 new cases per day is looming, CNN reported.

"We'll cross 100,000 infections at some point in the next couple of weeks, probably. We might do it this week if all the states report on time," he said.

The alarming numbers come less than a week away from Election Day on Nov. 3. Across the nation, 41 states have reported a 10% increase in new COVID-19 cases this past week, including New York City.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and public health officials said the city's coronavirus seven-day average positivity rate reached 1.92%. It was the highest number reported in weeks. The one-day positivity rate also saw a spike, reaching 2.7%.

Authorities have also reported an increase in new cases across the city. Previously, the spikes due to outbreaks in certain parts of Brooklyn and Queens, Politico reported.

Ten percent of the new cases were connected to domestic and international travel. Workplaces and indoor gatherings were also linked to the surge of coronavirus cases in New York City.

"The growth is what worries me. And we cannot allow that number to keep growing. We're really going to have to double down," de Blasio said. "This is a dangerous time, and we have to take it really, really seriously."