The number of new coronavirus cases recorded in a single day in the United States topped 100,000 for the first time Wednesday, setting a record in the monthslong pandemic, NBC News data show.
According to the data, there were 104,429 new cases, breaking the single-day record of 98,583 new cases set last week.
More than 235,000 people across the United States have died from the virus this year, the most in the world.
Hospitalization numbers are surging across the Midwest and the Southwest. Missouri, Oklahoma, Indiana, Nebraska, North Dakota and New Mexico all reported record numbers of hospitalizations, according to The Associated Press.
Hospital officials in Iowa and Missouri also warned that their capacity could soon be overwhelmed.
“The infection rate is definitely a leading indicator for hospitalizations, and the hospitalization rate is a leading indicator of mortality,” Susan Gunasekaran, CEO of University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, told the AP.
Data from the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center also show that states like Illinois, Florida, New York and Kentucky have recorded two consecutive weeks of rising case numbers.
The state with the highest positivity rate was South Dakota, where nearly 51 percent of everyone tested returns a positive result, according to the data.
The Associated Press contributed.
