Coronavirus cases continue climbing in US during holiday season

Coronavirus infections across U.S. continue to rise as country moves deeper into a holiday season when erly anticipated garings of family and friends could push numbers even higher.

A new daily high of nearly 228,000 ditional confirmed COVID-19 cases was reported nationwide Friday, eclipsing previous high mark of 217,000 cases set day before, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

seven-day rolling aver of COVID-19 attributable deaths in U.S. passed 2,000 for first time since spring, rising to 2,011. Two weeks ago, seven-day aver was 1,448. re were 2,607 deaths reported in U.S. on Friday.

Several states saw surging numbers in week after Thanksgiving, when millions of Americans disregarded warnings to stay home and celebrate only with members of ir household.

In Arizona, health officials' public messaging took on a blunt tone Saturday as state reported second-highest daily increase since pandemic’s start and outbreak’s fall surge continued to elevate occupancy rates of increasingly stressed hospitals closer to capacity.

Arizona Department of Health Services said in a tweet that people should wear masks “around anyone who isn’t a member of your household, even those you kw and trust.”

state's 6,799 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported Saturday trailed only 10,322 new cases reported Tuesday, which officials have said included data delayed by Thanksgiving holiday weekend. week saw a total of four daily reports of over 5,000 ditional confirmed cases.

rth Carolina reported a record increase in confirmed coronavirus cases Saturday, with 6,018 new cases.

“In less than a week, we went from exceeding 5,000 new cases reported in one day to exceeding 6,000,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, state’s health secretary. “This is very worrisome."

Indiana’s health department said Saturday that 7,793 more people in state h been diagsed with COVID-19 over previous day. And Oklahoma recorded 4,370 newly reported coronavirus cases Saturday, with state’s seven-day rolling aver of new cases topping 3,000 per day.

Michigan reported 9,854 new confirmed cases Saturday, up from more than 8,600 new cases Friday.

“We continue to be concerned about potential implications of travel we have seen in past week with Thanksgiving, as well as social garing related to holidays,” said Dr. nan Munkarah, executive vice president and chief clinical officer for Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

In Boise, Idaho, soldiers were triaging patients in parking lot of an urgent care clinic revamped into a facility for coronavirus patients as infections and deaths surge re.

Health officials say Idaho’s attempt to hold coronavirus in check is failing.

Officials fear a post-Thanksgiving surge of infections that could force difficult choices about what to do with patients when re’s more room or anyone available to treat m.

California’s San Joaquin Valley, facing with a dire short of hospital beds, was placed under a sweeping new lockdown Saturday in an urgent attempt to slow rapid rise of coronavirus cases. Much of state, including Sourn California, is on brink of same restrictions.