The coronavirus pandemic continues to rage in America, as the country sets a new single-day record for the sixth time in 10 days.
Southern and Western states are seeing the greatest surges, including states that re-opened early. Alabama, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, and Texas all set records for single-day cases.
READ MORE: FDA commissioner dodges Trump claim that 99% of coronavirus cases are ‘totally harmless’
Texas set a record for the fourth day in a row with more than 10,000 positive cases confirmed on Thursday.
The New York Times maintains a public database that tracks cases of the virus across the country. According to the database, there have been more than 3.1 million positive cases in the U.S., and more than 133,000 people have died.
Republican leaders have pushed back against the data, including from President Donald Trump, saying that increased testing is accounting for the growing numbers. However, The Times has stated that the number of people being hospitalized is also rising. Fortunately, deaths related to the virus remain below their peak levels.
The numbers in The New York Times database are updated several times a day. The newspaper has said that it has made that data public “in hopes of helping researchers and policymakers as they seek to slow the pandemic and prevent future ones.”
READ MORE: San Quentin prison housing inmates in tents amid COVID-19 outbreak
As the records continue to rise, hospitals are canceling elective surgeries and discharging patients early in order to have beds to treat virus patients. In Florida, many intensive care units have reached maximum capacity.
Governor Ron DeSantis is set to open a 12th virus-positive long-term care facility inside the former Miami Medical Center. The governor has said that younger people, many of whom are asymptomatic, have not been cooperating with contact tracing.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!