(CNN) — The United States reported more than 121,000 infections Thursday, beating the record for daily cases it had set just 24 hours earlier.
The grim tally comes after Wednesday’s record of more than 100,000 cases, which was the first time the United States reached a six-figure number of infections. That means that in just two days, the country reported more than 220,000 positive tests, bringing last week’s total to more than 660,000 new cases of the virus.
As cases rise across the country, the number of Americans hospitalized is also increasing, with more than 53,000 patients in the US, according the Covid Tracking Project. And doctors have warned that as those numbers rise, an increase in deaths will follow.
In the Midwest, where communities have been particularly hard hit and outbreaks are only getting worse, hospitalizations have risen “following the increase in cases in the region, which has accelerated considerably,” the project said in a publication blog on Thursday.
“Reported deaths in the Midwest are also on the rise, several weeks after the increase in cases in that region,” the project said.
More than 234,900 Americans have died since the start of the pandemic, and a joint forecast released Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projects another 31,000 people could lose their lives in the next few years. two weeks and a half.
In New Mexico, where health officials have been sounding the alarm for weeks over a COVID-19 crisis, the daily number of COVID-19 deaths hit a record high. Hospitalizations have soared 260% in the last month, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said. Health officials added that they expect to run out of general hospital beds “in a matter of days.”
The governor said the state “is not going in the right direction.” And he urged residents to follow public health guidelines designed to slow the spread of the virus.
“If we don’t do them, more drastic decisions will be made and we will have a horrible November and a dramatically bad December,” he said.
‘It’s everywhere’
New Mexico is one of at least 38 states reporting more new COVID-19 infections than the previous week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Only two US states, Alabama and Tennessee, are trending in the right direction.
In Minnesota, health officials reported more than 3,900 new cases Thursday. It is the highest daily total for the state and the third day in a row that single-day cases have reached a new record.
In Utah, where state officials have echoed the warnings for weeks, the 2,807 new cases Thursday broke a daily record.
The governor, Gary Herbert, called the numbers “discouraging news.” He predicted that the state would continue to see “this dramatic increase, unless we tweak and change our behavior.”
Meanwhile, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine warned of the spread in the community, as the state also reported a record number of COVID-19 cases Thursday.
“It is everywhere, we cannot hide from it, we cannot run from it,” the governor said during a press conference. “The risk of contracting this virus in every county is very real.”
And social gatherings like weddings, funerals and private parties are helping fuel the spread of the virus, he said.
“This should scare you, that it has so much spread in your hometown,” added DeWine. “It just went off.”
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New state restrictions target gatherings
With the virus now rampant in American communities, several state leaders have pushed for new measures to help slow the spread.
In Connecticut, new measures will go into effect Friday, imposing new limits on restaurants, religious ceremonies and event spaces. The governor also announced stricter restrictions on private gatherings on Thursday, which will run through the Thanksgiving holiday season.
Public health officials across the country have pointed to the meetings as one of the main driving forces behind the covid-19 surges. And the governor, Ned Lamont, also recommended earlier this week that residents stay home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. to limit socializing.
Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo ad new restrictions going into effect on Sunday. They include a stay-at-home notice that will last from 10 pm to 5 am on weekdays and will begin at 10:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
“I am asking for voluntary compliance,” said Raimondo, who announced the new advisory in response to the increase in infections.
Also, starting Sunday, all restaurants, gyms, and recreational facilities must close at 10 p.m. on weekdays and at 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Raimondo said, while restaurants can stay open later only to carry out.
The governor also said that the main source of the spread of the virus has been gatherings such as large house parties.
If they don’t stop, “I’ll be back in two weeks with a lockdown order,” the governor said.
CNN’s Ben Tinker, Sheena Jones, Melissa Alonso and Kay Jones contributed to this report.
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