The United States recorded the largest single-day increase in new coronavirus cases Thursday, as the nationwide death toll approaches 125,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Cases rose across the country by at least 39,818 on Thursday, breaking the previous record of 36,426 set on April 24. The country also totaled 124,415 COVID-19-related deaths, and more than 2.4 million cases nationwide by Friday morning, the data shows.
More than 36,000 new cases were recorded on Wednesday as the country inched toward yesterday’s record.
Texas, Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wyoming have all seen record rises in cases this week.
Those states were either spared the brunt of the initial outbreak, or moved early to lift restrictions on residents and businesses.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott temporarily halted the state’s reopening on Thursday amid an uptick in COVID-19 infections.
“This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business,” Governor Greg Abbott, a two-term Republican, said in a statement.
Abbott also issued an executive order directing hospitals in four hard-hit counties to suspend elective surgeries, calling it a “precautionary step” to guarantee an “ample supply of available beds to treat COVID-19 patients.”
The Lone Star State’s biggest cities — Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Austin — are all located in the counties covered by the order.
While the nationwide surge can be partly attributed to more testing, the percentage of positive results is also on the rise.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that as many as 10 times more Americans may be infected with coronavirus than earlier estimates suggested — which means as many as 20 million may have contracted the virus, but also that the mortality rate may be lower than thought.
Globally, more than 9.6 million people have been infected with the contagion.
Brazil is the second-most affected country with more than 1.2 million cases and nearly 55,000 deaths.
With Post wires
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