Topline
The coronavirus outbreak in the United States turned a grisly new corner this week when the nation’s rolling seven-day average of new coronavirus cases jumped to 68,767, breaking the previous record set in July as experts say the cold-weather coronavirus comeback they’ve been warning the public about since the pandemic’s early days is finally here.
People swab their mouths at a coronavirus testing site in Los Angeles, California in September.
Key Facts
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, which has been tracking coronavirus cases and deaths worldwide, the U.S. has seen an average of 68,767 new infections each day over the past week.
It’s the highest the country has counted since the coronavirus was first detected in the U.S., and even beat out the number of cases registered during the pandemic’s previous peak in July.
While it's true that the U.S. is testing more residents for coronavirus than ever before, the data shows the surge in new cases can’t be attributed to the increase in testing, as more tests are coming back positive since early October while testing has not increased by as high of a margin, according to Johns Hopkins University figures.
Figures show the resurgence is driven largely by surging cases in heartland states like North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri and Alabama among others.
Health experts and scientists warned early on that weather could bring on a new wave of cases, as people head inside instead of meeting outdoors and as coronavirus restrictions are rolled back.
On Sunday, former U.S. Food and Drug Administration head Scott Gottlieb told CBS’s Face the Nation that the country is at “a dangerous tipping point,” as the U.S. appears to be on the cusp of “what's going to be the steep slope of the curve of the epidemic curve.”
Crucial Quote
“These cases are going to continue to build. There's really no backstop here,” Gottlieb said on Face the Nation. “We have a moment of opportunity right now to take some forceful steps to try to abate the spread that's underway. But if we don't do that, if we miss this window, this is going to continue to accelerate and it's going to be more difficult to get under control.”
What To Watch For
How health systems will handle an influx of new coronavirus patients. As health experts have said for months, the new increase in coronavirus cases in fall lines up with the annual flu season, which will only increase the pressure put on hospitals and care providers. “There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield told The Washington Post back in April. Health experts have emphasized that yearly flu shots are more important now than ever to keep hospital beds free for vulnerable patients.
Key Background
According to Johns Hopkins University, on Monday the U.S. had registered 8.6 million total coronavirus cases and more than 225,000 deaths attributed to the pandemic. The U.S. isn’t the only nation seeing a resurgence of new cases—European countries, which clamped down hard early on in the pandemic and were widely praised for largely containing the virus have detected second waves of coronavirus cases. Unlike the U.S., Europe’s nations have responded with new large scale restrictions and lockdowns in a bid to prevent further spread of the virus.
Further Reading
Fauci: National Mask Mandate May Be Needed Amid Covid-19 Spike (Forbes)
Coronavirus Threatens To Define Final Days Of Election As U.S. Cases Skyrocket (Forbes)
