According to the CDC, there have been more than 224,000 deaths in the US due to COVID-19. A tally by the New York Times shows that at least 339 new coronavirus deaths and over 59,000 new cases were reported in the United States on October 25.
Over the last week, there has been an average of around 69,814 cases per day in the US, which marks a 32% increase compared to two weeks earlier. In the last week alone, there have been more than 481,000 new COVID-19 cases in the US, according to a USA Today tally, setting a record for the most cases reported in one week since the pandemic started.
Several states, including Illinois, Tennessee, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Nebraska and Utah, have seen record numbers of cases in the last week. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the state’s case activity is very high. Despite this, a three-judge panel in Wisconsin’s Third District ruled 2-1 on Friday to reinstate a temporary injunction blocking an order Governor Tony Evers issued earlier this month to reduce public interaction in an attempt to curb the virus’ spread, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
The state has also opened a field hospital at State Fair Park, which admitted its second patient on Friday. With an average of more than 3,000 cases each day just in the last week in Wisconsin, contact tracers are struggling to keep up, USA Today reported.
New Mexico is also seeing a record number of infections and has recorded more than 41,000 total cases of the virus as of Monday.
Dr. David Pitcher, executive physician for the University of New Mexico Health System, warned residents over the surging cases.
“We are in the middle of a relatively significant surge of patients,” Pitcher noted, KRQE reported. “Now more than ever we need to double down on simple measures to help make a difference.”
As of Monday afternoon, the Dow Jones Industrial Average index was down by more than 800 points amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in the US and ongoing stalemate between politicians regarding a stimulus package to aid Americans and struggling businesses.
"There continue to be wide swaths of the US economy which simply cannot get back to normal in a worsening pandemic, including travel, leisure, entertainment, restaurants and bricks-and-mortar retailing," David Kelly, chief global strategist at JP Morgan Funds, told NPR on Monday.
Despite the increase in cases, congressional lawmakers and the White House remain at odds on another economic stimulus bill.
"The failure of Congress and the administration to agree on a further stimulus package before the election will likely result in more small-business closures and state and local layoffs in the fourth quarter, along with some slowing in consumer spending on the basics," Kelly noted.
