October 23, 2020 – Thirty-two states reported rising Covid-19 infections, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Thursday was the highest day for new infections since July 24 and the day with the fourth highest total ever, at 71,671.
More than 41,000 people were hospitalized across the country, according to the Covid Tracking Project (CTP). This is the highest level of nationwide hospitalizations since Aug 20.
The number of people hospitalized has increased by 33% since the beginning of the month, the CTP says.
Deaths are also creeping upward, with 856 on Thursday, according to data from Johns Hopkins.
An updated model from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projects more than 140,000 Americans will likely die from the virus in the next three months, reports CNN. The institute says the “fall/winter surge has begun” — just a couple weeks behind Europe — and will intensify in November and December before reaching a peak in January.
At least eight states reported record-high hospitalizations Thursday: Kentucky, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio ,Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
At least 12 states saw their highest seven-day averages of new daily cases: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming.
And at least six states — Colorado, Indiana, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma and Utah — reported their highest daily case counts.