With U.S. Covid Cases at Record, Hospitalizations May Be Next

The U.S. surged to a new record in Covid-19 cases Thursday. Now, hospitalizations may be headed for all-time highs, too, and deaths are mounting as the presidency hangs in the balance.

Current hospitalizations rose Thursday to the highest since Aug. 5, Covid Tracking Project data show. That’s about 11% below previous peaks in April and July, although the data didn’t capture all states until shortly before the July peak. Now, the hit to the health-care system is getting worse fast: The number of coronavirus patients is up 16% in the past week.