US Coronavirus Cases Hit Highest Mark Since July, Seven States Post Record-Highs

The U.S. is seeing another surge in new coronavirus cases as health officials reported the highest single-day count since July.

The number of new COVID-19 cases spiked once again after authorities recorded 62,000 new cases Thursday, the most since the country’s previous record of 66,000 cases reported July 31, The Washington Post reported.

The virus began pummeling several states in October. Seven states, including Colorado, Indiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, posted record-highs for test results that came back positive this month. Fourteen other states with large rural areas — such as Alaska, Idaho, Nebraska, and Virginia — have also seen an increase in their seven-day averages.

Numbers are up across the country, with 41 states seeing a worrying upward trend in new cases while only nine states are holding steady. However, no state in the country is seeing a sustained decline in cases.

Many of the states in the Midwest and the Mountain West had relatively few cases until recent weeks. The climbing numbers are now causing experts to raise concerns about crowded intensive care facilities, The New York Times reported.

“We went to a low of around 35,000 cases per day late in the summer. Now we’re up to over 50,000, with those numbers climbing every day. Nationally, it’s going back up, and I’m really worried that we’re seeing a big increase,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College.

A model from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine forecasts that there will likely be more than 389,000 coronavirus deaths by Feb. 1, 2021. The model’s best-case scenario projects only 314,000 if states require face masks and impose social distancing restrictions. However, if the mandates are eased, the U.S. could see over 477,000 deaths or more, CNN reported.

“We are headed in the wrong direction, and that’s reflected not only in the number of new cases but also in test positivity and the number of hospitalizations,” said Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at John Hopkins University. “Together, I think these three indicators give a very clear picture that we are seeing increased transmission in communities across the country.”