COVID-19 Cases Top 100,000 A Day For The First Time Ever

Back in June, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted that the U.S. would hit this grim milestone if the country didn’t “turn it around.”

Medical staff members treat a patient suffering from COVID-19 in the ICU on October 31, 2020 in Houston, Texas. | Getty Images
Medical staff members treat a patient suffering from COVID-19 in the ICU on October 31, 2020 in Houston, Texas. | Getty Images

The U.S. broke its own record for new daily COVID-19 cases on Thursday, surpassing 121,000 new cases in a single day.

According to data published by Johns Hopkins University on Friday, the COVID-19 milestone on Thursday included at least 1,210 deaths. Cases jumped by nearly 19,000 from Wednesday.

Midwestern and rural states have reported a large share of the recent increases in cases, even though they were previously less affected by the coronavirus pandemic compared to major cities. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention reported that non-metropolitan areas have consistently had a higher number of cases compared to metro areas since August. As of November 3, rural areas were reporting the highest number of cases on a 7-day rolling average in the whole country.

At the end of October, the U.S. had a record-breaking 7-day rolling average of 74,984. That number has jumped to nearly 100,000, per Johns Hopkins.

Experts have speculated for months that a surge in cases would occur in the fall and winter months. Back in June, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, predicted this week’s milestone of daily new cases while warning about state reopenings. During a U.S. Senate committee hearing, Fauci warned that the resurgence of cases on the west coast and among the Sunbelt states over the summer would leave the rest of the country vulnerable.

“I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around, and so I am very concerned,” Fauci said in June. “We will continue to be in a lot of trouble.”

Earlier this week during one of Trump’s last campaign rallies before the election, the president suggested that he was going to fire Fauci from the coronavirus task force because “he’s wrong a lot.” The crowd at the rally started chanting “Fire Fauci!”

During an interview with CNBC’s Shepard Smith last week, Fauci said he hadn’t spoken to Trump in “quite a while” and also endorsed a nationwide mask mandate. Fauci also told the Washington Post that the country was in for “a lot of hurt” unless leaders make an “abrupt change” to control the spread.

“All the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and winter season, with people congregating at home indoors. You could not possibly be positioned more poorly,” Fauci said.