The United States saw a record number of new coronavirus cases in a single day, with 45,557 diagnoses reported Wednesday, according to an NBC News count.
Wednesday’s cases surpass the previous highest daily count since April 26, during the first peak of the pandemic in the United States, in more than 9,000 cases, according to tracking data from NBC News. The World Health Organization reported its one-day registration on Sunday, with more than 183,000 new cases worldwide.
Health experts said Monday that the resurgence of cases in the southern and western states dates back to Memorial Day, when many officials began loosening the blockades and reopening business.
The Northeast has reported a significant decrease in cases, as the authorities have maintained policies on social distancing and the use of masks.
Visitors traveling from U.S. hot spots arriving in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will be asked to remain in quarantine for two weeks, their governors announced Wednesday.
Unfortunately, as many states struggle to contain the virus after restrictions have been loosened prematurely, hospitals are overwhelmed by patients.
In Florida, where more than 109,000 cases have been reported, the capacity available for adult intensive care units is only 21 percent, according to state data updated Wednesday. Only 12 percent of Arizona ICU beds are available, the state health department reported Tuesday.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, praised California’s response and compared the battle against the coronavirus to a social justice crusade.
“Californians have lived up to social issues so well in the past that you have been the nation’s leader in these things,” Fauci told the Sacramento Press Club on Wednesday.
“This is an issue that really has an associated social responsibility,” he said.
Still, California also posted its largest single-case record in a single day on Wednesday. Another 7,149 reported cases brought the state’s total confirmed cases to 190,222.
Governor Gavin Newsom begged Californians on Wednesday to continue covering their faces.
“You are not invincible since COVID-19,” Newsom said. “Quite the contrary. This is a disease that spreads easily, spreads very easily.”
