Coronavirus: US reports record single-day spike of 128k new cases
What's the story
As the United States has been more focused on the Presidential elections this past week, the COVID-19 situation has worsened. For the fourth consecutive day, the US reported a record single-day rise of over 128,000 new cases. The US, the world's worst-hit country in the outbreak, is now reporting the highest daily new cases for any nation in the world.
Outbreak
128k new infections, 1,097 new deaths: COVID Tracking Project
According to The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer organization launched by The Atlantic, the US reported 128,000 new cases on Saturday. The US also reported 1,097 deaths on Saturday, the data showed. The nationwide tally has risen to 9,761,481, including 229,238 deaths. In Illinois, cases have doubled the past two weeks. The state reported an all-time high case count of 12,000 on Saturday.
Outbreak
US reported record spike for fourth consecutive day
Saturday marked the fourth consecutive day that daily new infections saw a record spike, reaching over one lakh. On Friday, the US had reported 126k new cases. Hospitalizations have also risen, with 55,817 active infections in the US currently, the COVID Tracking Project reported. The data showed that one in every 462 people in the US tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
Information
US death toll could cross 3 lakh within 2 months
Further, according to the projections from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the US could report 106,000 more deaths in the next two months. State leaders have now pushed to avoid more hospitalizations and loss of life.
President Biden
Biden to announce COVID-19 task force on Monday
Evidently, President Donald Trump's administration had come under fire for its poor handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. President-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to succeed Trump after taking office in January, has said that he will name a group of leading scientists and experts on Monday as transition advisers. Sources told CNN that Biden will announce a 12-person task force.
Information
Biden's task force to be headed by three co-chairs
Reportedly, Biden's task force will be headed by three co-chairs, including former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. David Kessler, and Yale University's Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith. Biden has said that his administration will seek to "turn around this pandemic."