The alarming, uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 continued on Thursday, as the U.S. set a record in new cases for a third straight day, recording 150,000 new cases in a single day for the first time.
According to a database kept by Johns Hopkins University, at least 153,000 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 on Thursday — the 10th straight day in which the U.S. has recorded at least 100,000 cases.
According to Johns Hopkins, the U.S. recorded its 10 millionth case of COVID-19 on Monday. As of early Friday morning, 10.5 million Americans were confirmed to have contracted the virus.
The current unchecked spread of the virus has not been seen since March and April when the disease was spreading silently due to the U.S.'s lack of testing capabilities.
Governors and public health experts throughout the country have pleaded with citizens to wear masks and follow social distancing recommendations. A number of states were looking to re-impose restrictions in hopes of keeping hospitals from filling up with COVID-19 patients.
According to the COVID Tracking Project, 67,000 people across the country are currently hospitalized with the virus — the highest number since the start of the pandemic. Several states, like South Dakota and Iowa, have reported that hospitals are beginning to reach capacity.
The COVID Tracking Project also reports that the current spike in cases has resulted in an uptick in deaths. For the past seven days, the U.S. is averaging 1,104 deaths a day — a rate comparable to a spike in cases in the summer months across southern states.
Earlier this week, both Texas and California both reached 1 million confirmed cases in their states — and Florida isn't far behind, with 863,000 cases and counting.
President Donald Trump is expected to receive a briefing on the current case spike at the White House on Friday, though the meeting isn't open to the press. Trump has made just once public appearance in the last week and has not made public comments since a Nov. 5 press conference in which he falsely claimed victory in the presidential election.
