US COVID-19 Cases Cross 11 Million As Pandemic Intensifies

The number of coronavirus cases in the United States crossed the 11 million mark on Sunday, hitting yet another grim milestone, according to the Reuters survey, as the third wave of COVID-19 infections spread across the country.

Reuters data shows that the speed of the US pandemic has increased, with one million more new cases coming from just 8 days ago when it reached 10 million, making it the fastest since the pandemic started. This compares to 10 days in which it took 9 to 10 million and 16 days to cross 9 million out of 8 million cases.

The United States, which was hardest hit by coronavirus, reached 10 million cases of COVID-19 on 8 November and recorded more than 100,000 cases every day for the past 11 days.

The latest 7-day average indicates that the United States has recorded more than 144,000 cases per day and 1,120 deaths per day the highest of any country in the world.

Texas and California reported the highest number of COVID-19 infections in the United States, accounting for about 2.1 million cases or about 19 percent of the total since the outbreak of the pandemic, according to the Reuters analysis.

As COVID-19 related hospitalizations continue to increase, crossing 69,000 on Saturday, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's top advisors emphasized the need to monitor the pandemic, warning that local healthcare systems are at a tipping point.

The Midwest remains the hardest-hit area, most per capita, with North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska the top five worst-affected U.S. states.

Illinois, which emerged as the new outbreak epicenter in the area as well as across the world, recorded a record 15,433 new cases on Friday, most of which occurred in a 24-hour span, surpassing the previous all-time high of 15,300 reported by Florida in July.

Several states re-imposed restrictions this week to curb the spread of the virus across the country. North Dakota has become the newest state to mandate that face coverings be worn in public, as it joins 39 other states this month in announcing record regular jumps in new cases.

State governors urged people to stay home as much as possible, including Nevada Democrat Steve Sisolak, who said late on Friday that he had become the fourth governor to become infected with the virus.

The United States accounts for about 20% of more than 54 million global cases and close to 19% of the 1.31 million deaths reported worldwide, according to a Reuters tally.