COVID-19 hospitalizations hit a record high Nov. 10 with 61,964 people hospitalized nationwide, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project.
This figure marks the most hospitalizations seen during the pandemic, surpassing the previous record of 59,940 hospitalizations reported April 15, reports The New York Times.
The new tally marks a 40 percent jump in hospitalizations in just two weeks, according to the COVID Tracking Project. Seventeen states are facing peak hospitalizations as of Nov. 11, most of which are in the West and Midwest.
The nation also reported more than 135,400 new COVID-19 cases Nov. 10, marking the third record daily case increase in the past week, reports The Washington Post.
Five more updates:
1. The CDC updated its face mask guidance Nov. 10, saying that masks also protect wearers, not just those around them. The update strengthens the agency's stance on mask use, as a previous guidance said wearing masks only benefited those around the wearer. The updated guidance also cites seven studies that confirm the benefits of universal masking.
2. Most Americans may be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine by the end April, Anthony Fauci, MD, the nation's top infectious disease physician, told CNN Nov. 10.
3. Crowded indoor venues like restaurants, gyms and coffee shops may have accounted for about 80 percent of new infections between March and May, according to research published Nov. 10 in Nature. The finding is based on an analysis of cell phone location data for about 98 million people in 10 U.S. cities, along with computer modeling to assess how crowded indoor venues may have affected each city's outbreak.
4. CMS will cover Eli Lilly's monoclonal antibody treatment for Medicare beneficiaries during the pandemic, the agency said Nov. 10. The announcement comes a day after the drugmaker's antibody treatment received emergency use authorization from the FDA.
5. Texas became the first state to hit 1 million COVID-19 cases Nov. 10, according to data from Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University. The state now has more cases than Italy, once a major hotspot for the virus, reports CBS News. California is also nearing this milestone, with more than 989,400 cases as of 8 a.m. CST Nov. 11.
Snapshot of COVID-19 in the U.S.
Cases: 10,260,282
Deaths: 239,695
Recovered: 3,961,873
Counts reflect data available as of 8:10 a.m. CST Nov. 11.
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