The U.S. reported more than 90,000 new COVID-19 cases Oct. 28, a record that equates to more than one case diagnosed every second, reports The New York Times.
Twenty-four states reported more cases over the seven-day period ending Oct. 29 than any other week. The country is also nearing 9 million total cases just 15 days after surpassing 8 million, according to The Washington Post.
Five other updates:
1. An average of 800 U.S. COVID-19 deaths occur each day, an uptick from recent numbers but still far lower than seen in the spring, reports The New York Times.
2. State officials say they don't have sufficient funds to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine, reports The Washington Post. The CDC has requested state health officials prepare for vaccine distribution by Nov. 15, even though a vaccine is not likely to be approved until later this year. "The now accelerated timeline underscores the need to address the issue of funding for state and territorial health agencies to make this all work," Michael Fraser, PhD, executive director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, told the Post. "There are many other costs that have no clear way to be paid for at this point."
3. About 43,000 deaths among nursing home staff and residents have been linked to facilities that avoided penalties for infection control deficiencies this year, according to an investigation by The Washington Post. The publication found government inspectors cleared nearly 8 in 10 nursing homes of violations during the first six months of the pandemic.
4. The White House collects and analyzes daily information on national COVID-19 hospitalization trends, but does not make the data public, according to internal documents obtained by NPR. Public health officials and data experts who reviewed the documents told NPR that withholding this information may pose a missed opportunity to prevent future outbreaks. "Our goal is to be as transparent as possible, while still protecting privacy," an HHS spokesperson told NPR, saying the hospital capacity data helps inform where the virus is spreading and how the U.S. should respond.
5. Regeneron's antibody cocktail reduced COVID-19 patients' need for a medical visit by 57 percent for those with mild to moderate cases, according to preliminary trial results shared Oct. 28.
Snapshot of COVID-19 in the U.S.
Cases: 8,947,980
Deaths: 228,677
Recovered: 3,554,336
Counts reflect data available as of 8:25 a.m. CDT Oct. 30.
More articles on public health:
Number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, state by state: Oct. 30
2 New York 'superspreader' events leave 300 in quarantine
21 states where COVID-19 is spreading fastest, slowest: Oct. 30