(CNN).- New coronavirus daily cases in the United States hit another record high on Wednesday, November 11th, with 140,543 reported and more expected before the end of the day.
Wednesday was also the ninth straight day of new cases topping 100,000. The second highest number, 136,325, was reported Tuesday.That’s as the White House Task Force this week again alerted states of “accelerating” coronavirus spread and recommended increased testing in its weekly report to states.
“There is continued, accelerating community spread across the top half of the country, where temperatures have cooled and Americans have moved indoors,” reports dated November 8 and distributed to states Tuesday evening said.
The task force, which warned of “significant deterioration in the Sunbelt” in last week’s set of reports, said that deterioration has only continued in the past week, “leading to the most diffuse spread experienced to date.
“Hospitalizations in the country also topped records for a second day in a row. On Wednesday, 65,368 people were hospitalized, up from Tuesday’s record of 61,964, according to the Covid Tracking Project. That’s double the number a month ago.
All over the country, many hospitals are already at their breaking point, with overwhelmed and overworked staff members and a continuing surge of patients.
Wisconsin and 65 counties are at “critically high” levels of Covid-19 spread, and 90% of the state’s hospital beds are full, the Health Department said, and the Mayo Clinic Health System said it has no empty beds left at its hospitals in the northwest of the state.
“The public urgently needs to treat Covid-19 as the health emergency it is to prevent the health care system from being overwhelmed,” the health system said in a statement Wednesday.Wisconsin’s Health Department just created the “critically high” level that’s almost three times higher than the previous top level, it said Wednesday.
“This new category indicates how alarming COVID-19 activity is in counties and regions throughout Wisconsin,” the department said in a release
Wisconsin had its second straight day of more than 7,000 new cases Wednesday, the department said.
Source: CNN