U.S. sets new record for coronavirus cases
The United States set a one-day record for coronavirus cases the day after the election with OVER 102,000 new cases, according to a Reuters tally.
This as hospitals in several states reported a rising tide of patients. Nine states reported record one-day increase in cases: Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.
In addition to rising cases, on Tuesday hospitalizations topped 50,000 for the first time in three months.
Hospitalizations are a key metric because they are not impacted by the amount of testing being done.
North Dakota reported only six free intensive care unit beds in the entire state on Wednesday.
The proportion of tests coming back positive is greater than 50% in South Dakota and over 40% in Iowa and Wyoming.
The World Health Organization says rates of more than 5% are concerning because they indicate undetected community transmission.
The outbreak is hitting the Midwest the hardest, based on new cases per capita in recent weeks.
The pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of American life, including a record number of voters mailing in their ballots in Tuesday’s presidential election.
Leading up to the election, Stanford University economists estimated that President Donald Trump’s campaign rallies resulted in 30,000 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, and likely led to more than 700 deaths overall.
