US coronavirus: More than 114,000 new infections reported, breaking a new daily record

Health experts had warned weeks ago that the nation’s daily cases would hit six digits, but those alarming numbers come earlier than expected. And the Covid-19 death toll could hit 266,000 by the end of November, according to a joint forecast released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In just 10 months, more than 9.6 million people in the US have been infected with coronavirus and more than 234,000 have died. Hospitalizations are also on the rise across the country, with more than 53,000 people hospitalized for coronavirus on Thursday.

As the pandemic continues to escalate, some officials are enacting new rules to try to control the spread of the virus.

States break new daily records

Ohio on Thursday saw a record number of new coronavirus infections, and also reported its highest number of hospitalizations and people in intensive care. The state reported 4,961 new cases of Covid-19, with 2,075 people hospitalized and 571 in the ICU.

Every county in the state is experiencing significant community expansion, said Gov. Mike DeWine, who attributed the rise in cases to weddings, funerals and other social gatherings.

“It’s everywhere,” he said. “We can’t hide from it. We can’t run from it. We have to face it.”

Utah hit a daily record with 2,807 new coronavirus cases, averaging 1,943 cases in seven days. That’s up from last week, when the seven-day average was 1,578, according to state epidemiologist Angela Dunn.

Governor Gary Herbert called the report “grim and discouraging news.” He warned that the state would see even higher numbers in the coming weeks unless residents change their behavior.

But he added that he did not want to close deals to stop the spread.

“We think it may be the wrong direction,” he said. “It may be necessary to make some behavioral modifications to keep those businesses open.”

And in Minnesota, there were nearly 4,000 new infections Thursday, making it the third day in a row that the state broke a daily high of new cases. The state health department also reported nine days in a row in which more than 100 new people were hospitalized with coronavirus.

The battle for closure

El Paso, Texas, reached a record number of hospitalizations on Wednesday, with at least 1,041 Covid-19 patients hospitalized in the city.

County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, the county’s top government official, ordered a two-week shutdown of all non-essential services last week. Without such measures, he said, “we will see unprecedented levels of deaths.”

But the Texas attorney general said his office filed a motion for a temporary injunction to stop the judge’s “illegal lockdown order, which goes against Governor Greg Abbott’s executive orders on COVID-19.”

Abbott said Samaniego closed businesses “illegally.” He said the county judge “made it clear that he had not been enforcing existing protocols allowed by law” that could help curb the virus “while allowing businesses to open safely.”

Baker also announced new restrictions around meetings and a new closing time for indoor facilities, theaters and other venues.

Connecticut announced new capacity limits on restaurants, religious ceremonies and indoor event spaces.

Those who cannot work from home may be at higher risk of contracting Covid-19

A team led by the CDC examined 314 American adults: 153 were symptomatic and had positive PCR tests for Covid-19 and 161 were symptomatic people with negative test results.

Of the 248 participants who reported their teleworking status in the two weeks prior to illness onset, those who tested positive for Covid-19 were more likely to report going exclusively to a workplace.

The findings highlight socioeconomic differences between participants who teleworked and who did not, the authors wrote. Employees who were not white and those who earned less had fewer opportunities to telecommute.

“Allowing and encouraging the option of working from home or telecommuting, when possible, is an important consideration in reducing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2,” the authors wrote.

When teleworking is not possible, worker safety measures must be expanded, they said.