U.S. battles coronavirus surge as states see record new cases
Kenosha, Wisconsin — In the run-up to the election, the U.S. has seen a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases. Eighteen states have broken daily records for new cases in the past week and hospitalizations are up in 43 states. Since the pandemic started, more than 9.2 million cases have been confirmed in the U.S. and more than 231,000 Americans have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Wisconsin is facing one of the biggest COVID-19 surges in the country. Nearly a third of test results are now coming back positive and hospitalizations are up almost 40% in just two weeks.
"It's been exhausting, to say the least," said Jodie Gord, a nurse manager at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee, where cases are up more than 40%.
Since we visited nearly two weeks ago, Gord created a zen room to help her staff battle burnout.
"What is the most draining thing for you and your colleagues?" CBS News asked.
"The most draining thing is just to keep on going. We're seeing a lot of higher anxiety and depression," Gord said.
Late Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced the number of children contracting COVID-19 has soared to unprecedented levels, nearly 200,000 new cases in the month of October. Meanwhile, a CDC study finds pregnant women with COVID are at higher risk for severe illness, death and delivering preterm. Health officials said the impact on infants is still unknown.
Sixteen states set single-day records for new coronavirus cases over the weekend. Despite the nationwide increase in infections, the CDC said voters who are sick or quarantined can still go to the polls on election day, as long as they take proper precautions like wearing a mask.
Meanwhile, there are new rules for travelers going to New York. Starting Wednesday, the state will require visitors from non-neighboring states to be tested before and after they arrive.
The surge of cases in Wisconsin is being felt at testing centers like this one in Kenosha. They had to close an hour and a half early Monday after running out of their allotment of 750 tests. A county official told CBS News it's been like this for the last few weeks.
