By Adam Martin

Newly reported Covid-19 cases in the U.S. hit a record high, as did deaths reported in a day, as the global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic passed 1.5 million.

Hospitalizations also hit a record, with 100,667 people in the U.S. admitted as of Thursday, according to the Covid Tracking Project. Of those, a record 19,442 people were in intensive care.

The country reported 217,664 new cases on Thursday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, up from 200,055 on Wednesday, and surpassing the previous record of 205,557 set Friday last week.

Newly reported deaths also surged Thursday, to 2,879, according to Johns Hopkins data, the second daily record in a row. The U.S. reported 2,804 deaths on Wednesday.

Nationally, more than 14 million have been infected and more than 276,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins data. World-wide, more than 65.2 million people have been

The United States on Wednesday surpassed 100,000 coronavirus hospitalizations — a record-high since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the COVID Tracking Project. Hospitalizations have more than tripled nationwide since October 1, leaving healthcare systems stretched thin as facilities begin to run out of room for new patients. 

South Dakota, Nevada and Indiana lead the nation in hospitalizations per capita, while California has the highest number with 9,365 hospitalizations, according to the COVID Tracking Project. Governor Gavin Newsom said California’s hospital system cannot sustain patients at its current rate of 75% ICU capacity. If current rates stay steady or increase, California will run out of ICU beds before December 25, a fear hospitals in South Dakota, Indiana and Nevada are already facing.

In Reno, the Renown Regional Medical Center is currently caring for 30 patients at the hospital’s alternate care site, a parking garage. Since the onset of the

The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients nationwide passed the 100,000 mark Wednesday, an alarming statistic fueling enormous strain on the health care system and its brave but beleaguered workers.

Some experts said the total, compiled by the COVID Tracking Project and at 100,226 Wednesday night, could soon double. Robert Glatter, an emergency room physician at New York City’s Lenox Hill Hospital, said the country has reached a “dangerous inflection point.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we stand at 200,000 people hospitalized in the next month,” Glatter told USA TODAY. “Explosive growth of the virus has the potential to overrun our ability to provide care. Not only for patients with COVID-19 but also for basic medical conditions.”

Many hospitals will be forced to suspend elective surgeries and other routine operations, set up temporary

Former President Barack Obama said he “absolutely” plans on getting a Covid-19 vaccine when it’s available.

Obama, in an interview with SiriusXM host Joe Madison scheduled to air Thursday, said if Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said a coronavirus is safe, he believes him. 

“I promise you that when it’s been made for people who are less at risk, I will be taking it,” he added.

During the interview, Obama appeared to acknowledge the very real problem of vaccine hesitancy, which some health experts worry could cause minorities, who have been more adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, to

South Dakota and Indiana are now ranked first and second, respectively, for the highest rates of coronavirus hospitalizations per capita in the country, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

As the virus rages in South Dakota, so does the debate over the wearing of face coverings. In Rapid City, a city council meeting was held Monday to discuss a proposed mask mandate.

“It’s just a mask – wear it,” one person said at the meeting. “This is a public health crisis. I don’t know what else to say.”

“When did government get to dictate what we wear?” another person asked.

Hundreds of people who couldn’t attend the meeting shared their thoughts in online comments. In the end, the ordinance passed in a 9-1 vote and will have a second reading next Monday, CBS affiliate KELO-TV reported.

Indiana has set another record. Coronavirus hospitalizations in the state have risen from 919

Care New England opened a field hospital with more than 300 beds in Cranston on Monday, the same day the state sent an emergency alert saying conventional hospitals had reached their coronavirus capacity.

A facility with nearly 600 beds opened Tuesday at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. It is run by Lifespan, the state’s largest hospital group.

The Lifespan facility expects to admit 24 to

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina hit a record-high number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients for the fourth day in a row Tuesday as positive tests continue to surge.

© Mehmet Demirci/Zuma Press/TNS
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announces an executive order of coronavirus measures March 17, 2020 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The state Department of Health and Human Resources reported 2,033 people in hospitals statewide, the first time that number has crossed 2,000 since the pandemic began in March.

Also on Tuesday, DHHS said the rate of positive COVID-19 tests is now at 10.2% — more than twice the level state health officials are seeking.

North Carolina had set records for the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients for the last three days in a row, going from 1,840 to 1,966.

On Nov. 1, by contrast, that number stood at 1,140.

DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen has noted that reporting requirements