U.S. coronavirus cases hit 3 million, stoking fears of overwhelmed hospitals

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States rose by over 50,000 on Tuesday to push past 3 million, according to a Reuters tally, stoking fears that hospitals will be overwhelmed.

The United States has the highest known numbers of both COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world. More than 131,000 Americans have died from the disease, a toll that experts warn will likely surge following recent record spikes in case numbers in many states.

© Thomson Reuters People walk near Zocalo Square during the gradual reopening of commercial activities in the city, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, in Mexico City,

In the first seven days of July, 19 states have reported record increases in new cases of COVID-19, including California, Hawaii, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma and Texas on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally.

While some of the increase can be attributed to more testing — new tests increased from a daily average of 461,000 in early June to 642,000 in early July — positive cases are rising at unprecedented rates in many states. Current hospitalizations began to surge in late June after slowing in the weeks prior; there were more than 38,600 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the past seven days compared to an average just over 32,000 in early June, according to a Reuters tally.

In Texas, the number of hospitalized patients more than doubled in just two weeks. In Arizona, about 90% of ICU beds are full. And in California, hospitalizations have risen 50% in the past two weeks.

In Florida, more than four dozen hospitals reported that their intensive care units (ICUs) reached full capacity on Tuesday. The daily U.S. tally stood at 50,170 late Tuesday, more than double the average of 22,000 cases a day reported in June. The United States set an all-time record for new cases in a single day of 56,818 on July 3.

Sources: MSN News