The U.S. COVID-19 case count hit a record high Oct. 30 — 99,155 cases — surpassing a previous record set just the day before, according to The New York Times.
The U.S. also recorded its highest seven-day case average Nov. 1 at 81,740 cases, according to The Washington Post. Nine states — Alaska, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota and Utah — all hit record high COVID-19 hospitalizations, reports the Post.
Five more updates:
1. The U.S. could see 100,000 new COVID-19 cases daily and an increasing death rate over the coming weeks, Anthony Fauci, MD, told The Washington Post Oct. 30. The nation's top infectious disease expert said the nation needs to make abrupt changes in public health practices amid the nationwide surge. "We're in for a whole lot of hurt. It's not a good situation," Dr. Fauci told the Post. "All the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and winter season, with people congregating at home indoors."
2. The U.S. is significantly undercounting positive rapid test results, public health officials told The New York Times. Rapid antigen tests aren't as reliable as PCR tests when detecting low virus levels, prompting Washington, D.C., and seven states to exclude positive antigen test results from public data, despite CDC guidance to report cases based on both tests. Six other states keep the different test results separate and may report antigen results less frequently. Experts warned that the case undercount may worsen as more "point-of-care" antigen tests and home test kits come on the market.
3. Tracking COVID-19's spread and tracing spikes back to a specific source has become nearly impossible since the virus is now so widespread, health officials told The New York Times.
4. A CDC advisory group on vaccines is developing a proposed distribution plan that would set aside a portion of the first COVID-19 vaccines available for people of color who live in communities hardest hit by the virus, reports The New York Times.
5. New York will require visitors to get tested for COVID-19 before their trip and quarantine for three days upon arrival to the state. The updated guidelines will permit visitors to "test out" of mandatory 14-day quarantines if they receive another negative test after the abbreviated quarantine period.
Snapshot of COVID-19 in the U.S.
Cases: 9,209,165
Deaths: 231,003
Recovered: 3,630,579
Counts reflect data available as of 8:15 a.m. CDT Nov. 2.
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