Nineteen states have seen a record increase in the number of new cases so far in October. (File)
New cases of COVID-19 in the United States hit a two-month high on Friday with more than 58,000 infections of the novel coronavirus reported and hospitalizations in the Midwest at record levels for a fifth consecutive day, according to a Reuters analysis.
Ten of the 50 states reported record one-day increases in cases on Friday, including the midwestern states of Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio. Wisconsin and Illinois recorded more than 3,000 new cases for a second day in a row – a two-day trend that was not seen even at the height of the previous outbreak in the spring, according to Reuters data.
The western states of Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming also reported their biggest day-long jumps in cases, as did Oklahoma and West Virginia.
Nineteen states have seen a record increase in the number of new cases so far in October.
Amid the resurgence of cases across the country, President Donald Trump, who recently contracted COVID-19, is expected to resume his re-election campaign on Saturday by speaking to his supporters from the balcony of the White House.
He is then due to travel to central Florida on Monday to hold his first campaign rally since being released from hospital.
Trump and his administration have come under fire for their handling of the pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 213,000 people nationwide, as well as for a lax approach to masks and social distancing in the White House.
There is no federal mandate to wear a mask, and 17 states do not need one, according to a Reuters analysis.
In addition to the increase in cases, hospitals in several states are struggling to manage an influx of patients.
Seven states reported a record number of hospital patients with COVID-19 on Friday: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
In the Midwest, hospitalizations have reached nearly 9,000, continuing a record-breaking streak started on Monday.
There are now more than 34,000 hospitalized nationwide, up 18% in the past two weeks.
As deaths nationwide continue to decline, the United States is losing an average of 700 lives per day. Three states reported a record one-day increase in deaths on Friday: Arkansas, Missouri and Montana. Health experts warn that deaths are a lagging indicator and typically increase weeks after the rise in cases.
