U.S. Coronavirus Cases See Highest One-Day Increase Since July

Megan VerHelst
Updated ·5 min read

ACROSS AMERICA — More than 64,000 cases of the coronavirus were reported on Thursday, bringing the nation's tally even closer to 8 million. The increase marks the highest one-day increase seen in the U.S. since late July.

World Health Organization experts warn cases could worsen through the winter if hygiene and safety practices like social distancing and wearing face coverings are not followed.

This week, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Robert Redfield warned governors to be wary of small gatherings, saying they will pose an “increasing threat” as the holidays approach and events go indoors amid colder weather.

"But what we're seeing as the increasing threat right now is actually acquisition of infection through small household gatherings," Redfield said. "Particularly with Thanksgiving coming up, we think it's really important to stress the vigilance of these continued mitigation steps in the household setting.”

Despite the rise in cases, the chances of a vaccine being available before the Nov. 3 election are looking less likely.

Pfizer, a top vaccine contender, said it will not apply for Emergency Authorization Use in the U.S. for its vaccine until the third week of November at the earliest.

In a public letter, Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said the drugmaker will not apply for authorization until vaccine is proven in three key areas: Effectiveness, safety and quality and consistency in manufacturing.

“Safety is, and will remain, our number one priority, and we will continue monitoring and reporting safety data for all trial participants for two years,” Bourla said in a statement.

The coronavirus continues to impact sports only days after University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban and Athletic Director Greg Byrne tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

On Friday, the Indianapolis Colts announced it is closing its practice facility after “several individuals” tested positive for the coronavirus. The day prior, the Atlanta Falcons closed their Flowery Branch training facility Thursday after one person in the organization — not a player — tested positive for the virus.

“The team is currently in the process of confirming those tests,” the Colts said in a statement. “We are in communication with the NFL and will have more information when available.”

Both teams will continue to work remotely during the closure.

As the pandemic continues to make an impact on various factions of society, institutions of higher education remain among the most affected with colleges and universities reporting a decline in enrollment.

Freshman enrollment has dropped more than 16 percent from last year at American colleges and by nearly a quarter at community colleges, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported Thursday.

A month into the fall semester, undergraduate enrollment overall is running 4 percent below last year’s levels, and graduate enrollment slipped to 2.7 percent.

Since the start of the pandemic, more than 178,000 virus cases have been reported at more than 1,400 colleges as of Oct. 8, according to a New York Times database.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden's presidential campaign on Thursday said vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris will suspend in-person events until Monday after two campaign staffers and a non-campaign employee tested positive for coronavirus.

The campaign told Associated Press reporters that Harris' communications director and a flight crew member tested positive after a recent campaign trip. The third person, identified later in the day, is an aviation company employee.

The campaign told reporters Biden had no exposure, although he and Harris spent several hours campaigning together in Arizona on Oct. 8.

READ: Saban Talks Impact Of COVID-19 Diagnosis, Approach To UGA Game

Meanwhile, hospital beds are filling with COVID-19 patients across the Midwest. According to the Washington Post, at least a dozen states have reached record hospitalization levels in the past week.

The Post reports eight hospitals in the Kansas City area were so inundated with patients late Wednesday that the had to temporarily stop accepting ambulances. Meanwhile, Wisconsin opened a field hospital for additional patients and Montana reported inpatient beds in its most populous county were at 98 percent capacity.

Masked early voters line up to cast their ballots at the South Regional Library polling location in Durham, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. The Associated Press reports more than 17 million Americans have already cast ballots in the Nov. 3 General Election. Of them, 82% cast ballots through the mail and 18% in person.(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Masked early voters line up to cast their ballots at the South Regional Library polling location in Durham, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. The Associated Press reports more than 17 million Americans have already cast ballots in the Nov. 3 General Election. Of them, 82% cast ballots through the mail and 18% in person.(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

At least 793 new coronavirus deaths and 65,327 new cases were reported in the United States on Thursday, according to a New York Times database. Over the past week, there have been an average of 54,399 cases per day, an increase of 25 percent from the average two weeks earlier.

As of Thursday, 32 states and Puerto Rico remained above the positive testing rate recommended by the World Health Organization to safely reopen. To safely reopen, the WHO recommends states remain at 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days.

More than 7.9 million people in the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus as of late Thursday afternoon, and more than 217,747 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news via The New York Times or Washington Post.

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This article originally appeared on the Across America Patch