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CHICAGO: COVID-19 cases in the United States approached 6 million on Sunday (Aug. 30), as many Midwestern states reported an increase in infections, according to a Reuters tally.
Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota have recently reported record one-day increases in new cases, while Montana and Idaho have record numbers of COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized.
Nationwide, metrics on new cases, deaths, hospitalizations, and test positivity rates are declining, but there are emerging hot spots in the Midwest.
Many of the new cases in Iowa are in the counties that are home to the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, which are holding some classes in person. Colleges and universities across the country have seen outbreaks after students returned to campus, forcing some to switch to online-only learning.
Infections have also spiked after an annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, which drew more than 365,000 people from across the country from Aug. 7-16. The South Dakota health department said 88 cases have been traced to the rally.
READ: Global coronavirus cases exceed 25 million
More than eight months after the pandemic, the United States continues to struggle with testing, and has seen the number of people tested drop in recent weeks.
Many health officials and at least 33 states have rejected the new COVID-19 testing guide issued by the Trump administration last week that said people exposed to the virus and without symptoms may not need testing.
Public health officials believe that the United States should test more frequently to find asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 to slow the spread of the disease.
READ: First U.S. COVID-19 reinfection case identified in Nevada study
While the United States has the highest number of recorded infections in the world, it ranks 10th based on cases per capita, and Brazil, Peru and Chile have higher rates of infection, according to a Reuters tally.
The United States also has the highest number of deaths in the world at more than 182,000 and is ranked 11th in deaths per capita, surpassed by Sweden, Brazil, Italy, Chile, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Peru.
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