NEW YORK (NewsNation Now) — Health officials in a number of U.S. states are sounding the alarm after another record-setting day of coronavirus cases.
The U.S. breaking a record for the second straight day with more than 143,000 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. Health officials also reported more than 1,400 deaths.
It’s the most in months, but shy of a record of more than 2,000 set back in April and states are starting to make some changes.
A look around the country:
California joins Texas in surpassing 1M total cases
California, surpassed 1 million total coronavirus cases, a day after Texas did.
Los Angeles County alone has reported more than 2,000 new daily cases for six of the last seven days, according to officials.
Chicago mayor implements new stay-at-home advisory as cases rise
In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a new stay-at-home advisory starting on Monday.
The city is asking people to only leave their homes for essentials to try to curb the spread of the virus.
Illinois reported 12,000 new cases on Thursday, setting a record for a third straight day.
North Dakota governor supports asymptomatic nurses working with strain on hospitals
Nurses in North Dakota are speaking out against the state’s governor saying that asymptomatic, COVID-19 positive nurses can continue working.
He made the announcement earlier this week to address staffing strains.
The North Dakota Nurses Association said it doesn’t support the move, as the state has been one of the worst hot spots in the country for weeks.
The state is one of nine in the U.S. that doesn’t have a mask mandate.
New Jersey governor responds to questions about people tired of coronavirus pandemic
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) had strong words for a reporter who asked him to respond to people who are tired of the pandemic.
“You know what’s really uncomfortable and annoying? When you die,” Gov. Murphy said.
Growing concerns as families consider gathering for the holidays
NewsNation’s Tom Negovan reports from Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, New York. Back in March, this was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve learned a lot since then, but there’s a real concern and across the country that our progress is about to be erased by another wave.
Front-line healthcare workers learned a lot during those difficult first few months about how to deal with the novel virus. Now, many fear the progress made here and at hospitals across the country is about to be erased by a second wave.
All the signs are there, as positivity rates hit record highs from coast to coast. November is on track to become the nation’s worst month of the pandemic so far, and many experts believe we’re bringing it on ourselves.
Mask fatigue is setting in. A NewsNation crew in Newark, New Jersey found residents in a COVID-19 hot-spot recording a 30%+ positivity rate eschewing masks and questioning the official data Wednesday night.
Utah, Illinois and Montana all set new COVID records this week. Illinois recorded new highs three days in a row.
“People are dying.” Said Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “We’re seeing a daily uptick in the number of deaths that we’re recording in the city of Chicago.”
In the Chicago suburbs, NewsNation affiliate WGN-TV put its helicopter over a huge line of cars snaking around a suburban parking lot, as hundreds lined up for drive-thru COVID-19 testing. Our Los Angeles affiliate, KTLA, recorded a similar scene from above Dodger Stadium. We’re taking this seriously, just not seriously enough or consistently enough.
Hundreds of hospitals from coast to coast report they’re already back where they were last spring, which is near the breaking point.
Dr. Amy Thompson, CEO of Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, says the facility just recorded its first pediatric fatality, telling reporters, “We have started seeing more children in our Covid unit with signs of acute COVID infection.”
In the San Francisco Bay area, hospitals are preparing to add ICU beds and making sure they’re stocked-up on supplies, especially gloves and masks.
Salt Lake City’s COVID case count increased by 4,000 Thursday, a new single-day record. Governor Gary Herbert called it “a breaking point.”
“Any time you have more than 400 people in our hospital with COVID-19,” he said, “that’s the benchmark that causes us concern. We have about 468 in there today.”
That’s not the exception any longer, it’s become the norm. New York City, where residents fought hard all summer to ‘flatten the curve,’ is seeing the curve go up again. The infection rate in the nation’s largest city hovers around 2.6%. At 3%, it will close its public schools. Mayor Bill De Blasio says he will not hesitate, but hopes New Yorkers will hold the line in the name of science, reminding them of the good news the world received this week.
“For the first time,” he said, “we can say with confidence that vaccines are coming soon.”