"A rapidly rising flood of coronavirus infections engulfed much of the United States on Thursday, setting records for new cases in 20 states, killing 1,158 people and straining the health system’s capacity to keep up with the pandemic.
On Thursday, 116,707 new cases were reported, the second straight record for a single day and a figure that dwarfed the total for any day in the previous worst two periods of the outbreak, in April and July. From Washington state to West Virginia and from Texas to Pennsylvania, the country was awash in record or near-record case counts Thursday.
Illinois reported 9,935 new cases, Iowa registered 4,562 and Oklahoma recorded 2,094 — all single-day highs — as the virus continued to spread across the nation’s midsection and the Plains states.
“In many areas of the country, this pandemic is a runaway train,” said James Lawler, an infectious-diseases specialist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. “We are doubling covid hospitalizations every two to three weeks in many parts of the Midwest. Think about what that means in a month to six weeks. So, we better find the brakes soon.”"
SEE ALSO:
"Pandemic Reality Check - Where We Are. Where We're Headed." (NPR)
"Danish Covid-19 Mink Variant Could Spark New Pandemic, Scientists Warn" (Guardian)
"It’s Evolving: Coronavirus Genetic Mutation May Have Made COVID-19 More Contagious " (SciTechDaily)
"Covid Hospitalizations Surge As Pandemic Enters Alarming New Phase in U.S. " (AP)
