Nearly 50,000 Americans are now hospitalized with coronavirus

by Joseph Guzman | Nov. 2, 2020 | Nov. 02, 2020

Story at a glance

Coronavirus hospitalizations increased in 47 states over the last month.
More than 47,500 people were hospitalized, with 9,553 in intensive care units as of Sunday, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
It’s the highest level of hospitalizations since mid-August.

Nearly 50,000 people are currently hospitalized across the U.S. due to COVID-19 as the nation is experiencing a worsening fall outbreak.

Coronavirus hospitalizations increased in 47 states over the last month and a total of 47,502 people were hospitalized with 9,553 in intensive care units (ICU) as of Sunday, according to The COVID Tracking Project.

Our country is in a historic fight against the Coronavirus. Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.

It’s the highest level of hospitalizations since mid-August. The U.S. reached a high of more than 59,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations in both April and July.

In Wisconsin, hospitalizations and deaths are at the highest level since the pandemic began, and a field hospital was opened just last month on the state fair grounds to help overwhelmed hospitals. More than 1,500 COVID-19 patients are currently in hospitals in the state with 343 in the ICU. Wisconsin is averaging more than 4,300 new cases and 38 deaths per day.

In El Paso, Texas, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 hit an all-time high of 978 patients with 273 in the ICU pushing area hospitals to capacity.

The rise in hospitalizations comes as the U.S. recorded more than 97,000 coronavirus infections on Friday, setting the single-day record for cases since the pandemic kicked off.

Public health experts are warning the outbreak will likely continue to get worse as the colder weather drives up infections.

“We’re right at the beginning of what looks like exponential growth in a lot of states, the Midwest, the Great Lakes region, even states like Texas, where you see 6,000 cases, Illinois, 8,000 cases, Florida 5,000 cases, Wisconsin 5,000 cases reported Friday,” Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said during an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday.

“This is very worrisome as we head into the winter,” he said.

The U.S. is averaging more than 80,000 cases per day and more than 800 deaths. Gottlieb last week said the nation will soon start to see 100,000 cases per day.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CORONAVIRUS RIGHT NOW

WHAT ARE OVERDISPERSION AND SUPERSPREADERS AND WHAT DO THEY MEAN FOR THE CORONAVIRUS?

CALIFORNIA CONFIRMS FIRST SIMULTANEOUS FLU AND CORONAVIRUS INFECTION IN ONE PATIENT

US SEES NEARLY 90,000 NEW DAILY COVID-19 INFECTIONS, BREAKING RECORDS

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE DEADLY SECOND WAVE OF THE 1918 PANDEMIC

IMMUNITY FOLLOWING COVID-19 INFECTION CAN LAST FOR AROUND FIVE MONTHS: STUDY