US Virus Cases Surge Past 70,000, and Appear to Set Daily Record

U.S. daily cases exceeded 70,000 for the first time since late July, prompting Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, to call this upward curve “a precarious place to be.”

Indeed, the Washington Post reported even grimmer data, saying the figure for the day topped 80,000, an all-time high eclipsing a previous record set during a summertime surge of cases in Sun Belt states.

The Post said Friday’s tally — the first above 80,000 — comes as many states break trecords for new infections. The news outlet also reported that the average number of virus hospitalizations had jumped in at least 38 states over the past week, a trend not readily attributable just to more widespread testing.

And it said the situation may surge further as the weather grows colder. 

President Donald Trump, at Thursday night's presidential debate, offered a more optimistic assessment, reiterating his conviction that the nation is "rounding the turn" on the virus and saying a viable vaccine is weeks away.