Nearly 53,000 coronavirus cases were reported in the United States on Wednesday, creating a new single-day record for positive test results as some states scramble to slow or reverse plans to reopen and some hospitals grapple with an overwhelming flood of new patients.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. accounts for about a quarter of coronavirus cases world-wide and the nation’s death toll climbed above 128,000 earlier this week.
As the number of cases reaches new heights daily, the number of people hospitalized with the virus has also increased dramatically in hotspot areas like Texas and Arizona.
In Texas, more than 6,500 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized – far exceeding the number of infected people in hospital beds for the month of April and May which was consistently below 2,000.
Arizona, reported that 89% of its ICU beds were occupied as the state reported close to 5,000 new cases for the day on Wednesday.
In California, too, hospitalizations are up more than 40% from two weeks ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) responded with new restrictions: closing bars, indoor restaurants, movie theaters, zoos and museums in 19 counties.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo also opted to delay plans to resume indoor dining in New York City where many residents are failing to wear masks in public and are not adhering to calls for social distancing. The decision comes even as cases and hospitalizations have fallen significantly in the former hotspot.
