US reports over 136K COVID-19 cases in new single-day record, according to Johns Hopkins

Biden holds briefing on COVID-19 pandemic after announcing task force

President-elect Joe Biden held a briefing about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, just hours after he announced his COVID-19 Advisory Board.

LOS ANGELES - The U.S. recorded more than 136,000 coronavirus cases Tuesday, setting another single-day record for virus cases since the the pandemic first began, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. reported 136,325 cases and 1,415 deaths, according to the university. It has been 293 days since the first reported case in the country on Jan. 21.

The U.S. has recorded more than 240,000 deaths and about 10.3 million confirmed infections, with new cases soaring to all-time highs of over 120,000 per day for the past week. Health experts have blamed the increase in part on the onset of cold weather and the flouting of mask-wearing and other precautions.

Texas on Wednesday became the first state with more than 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, California closed in on that mark as cases exploded from coast to coast.

Texas, the second-most populous state, has recorded 1.01 million coronavirus cases and over 19,000 deaths since the outbreak began in early March, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. California, the most populous state, has logged more than 991,000 cases.

Texas health officials reported 10,865 new cases on Tuesday, breaking a record set in mid-July. One of the hardest-hit places is the border city of El Paso. Its county has nearly 28,000 active cases and has suffered more than 680 COVID-19 deaths.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that all restaurants, bars and gyms statewide will have to close at 10 p.m. starting Friday, a major retreat in a corner of the U.S. that had seemingly brought the virus largely under control months ago. He also barred private gatherings of more than 10 people.

Oklahoma's health department said Wednesday that 1,248 people were hospitalized for confirmed or probable coronavirus, shattering the previous one-day record of 1,055.

A medical worker takes a swab sample from a man for coronavirus testing amid the coronavirus outbreak on November 9, 2020 in New York, United States. (Photo by Liao Pan/China News Service via Getty Images)

North Carolina on Tuesday reported its highest single-day increase in coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, with 3,119 people — 8% of those tested -- testing positive for the virus, according to the Associated Press.

In Nebraska, which is setting records for the number of people hospitalized with the virus, new restrictions took effect Wednesday. Those include a requirement that masks be worn at businesses where employees have close contact with customers for more than 15 minutes, such as barber shops, and a limit on large indoor gatherings to 25% of a building’s capacity. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and his wife have gone into quarantine after being exposed to someone with the virus.

North Dakota, according to Johns Hopkins data, continues to have the most new COVID-19 cases per capita in the nation, with one in every 83 residents testing positive in the past week.

In an effort to ease the pressure on hospitals in the state, North Dakota officials will allow nurses who are actively infected with COVID-19 to continue to work. In a press conference held Monday, Gov. Doug Burgum said rising coronavirus cases were putting a strain on hospital capacity in the state.

The U.S. hit a record number of coronavirus hospitalizations Tuesday and surpassed 1 million new confirmed cases in just the first 10 days of November amid a nationwide surge of infections that shows no signs of slowing.

The American Medical Association renewed its plea for mask-wearing, physical distancing and frequent hand-washing.

“With the holidays quickly approaching, each of us must do everything possible to reduce the spread of COVID-19, “ AMA President Susan Bailey said. “Failing to do our part will prolong the suffering and disruption to our lives and inevitably lead to more deaths of our friends, neighbors and loved ones.”

The Associated Press and Stephanie Weaver contributed to this story.

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