The COVID-19 numbers in the United States continue to set one horrific record after another even as the virus continues to rampage unchecked throughout the entire country.
For the 10th straight day Friday, the U.S. posted more than 100,000 new infections, bringing the total from Monday to Thursday to an awful 556,961, according to Johns Hopkins University's data. This also means there have been more than half a million new COVID-19 cases since the 10 million on Monday.
According to CNN, Thursday saw more than 153,000 new infections at the time, a new daily high, which was topped by Friday's 175,000 new infections. The dreaded new milestone -- 200,000 daily new cases -- will likely be attained as early as next week, said Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. Cases are rising in 44 states.
Nationwide, there have been 10.6 million total cases and 242,710 deaths since the first case was recorded in late January, according to Johns Hopkins.
Along with the record-setting new cases, this week came a record-setting surge in daily hospitalizations. Seventeen states reported record-high hospitalizations this week, bringing total hospitalizations nationwide to more than 60,000.
The exact number as of Tuesday was 61,694, said the COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer organization that compiles data on cases. This record-high total is 2,024 more than the number hospitalized on April 15, the previous record. The United States currently averages about 1,661 new hospitalizations per day.
The spike in hospitalizations is fearsome because increases are usually followed by rises in the death toll. Last week saw five days in a row with more than 1,000 deaths. There were 1,465 deaths reported Tuesday, 1,431 Wednesday, and 1,172 Thursday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projects up to 282,000 deaths by December 5. It also sees 40,000 Americans dying over the next three weeks.
An estimate from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) foresees nearly 2,000 Americans might die from COVID-19 every day by the end of December.
IHME said COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. might exceed one million between September 2020 and February 2021 if Americans persist in not wearing face masks and refusing social distance. This will also be the likely scenario if states persist in their "current pattern of easing" restrictions.
IHME called the one million projected deaths its worst-case scenario. In the scenario, they consider the most likely. However, IHME estimates 511,000 Americans could die between September and February.
