COVID-19 in US: Record-high Daily Numbers Few Days before Election

The US saw a record high of 91,000 new Covid-19 cases reported on Thursday, with spikes in dozens of states just days before the presidential election.

The same day, over 1,000 Americans died with the virus, as the national death toll and number of patients in hospital continue to trend upward.

The US is very close to nine million total cases, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

The contest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden comes to a head on Tuesday.

This is the third time this month that the US daily death toll has surpassed 1,000, according to Reuters.

Twenty-one states are experiencing outbreaks, with some of the most severe in the states that will be key in deciding the 2020 election.

At recent Trump rallies, attendees have been screened and given masks. The events have also been held outdoors due to the pandemic. But there has not been social distancing, and some supporters continue to avoid masks.

Mr Biden has also continued to campaign, though the Democrat's rallies have enforced social distancing practices, opting to have people attend inside their cars, for example.

CDC data on 29 October reported an additional 1,060 deaths due to Covid-19. The total US death toll is over 228,000 people.

US health experts are warning the case load and death toll will continue to rise as the flu season coincides with the outbreaks.

Infectious disease expert and White House coronavirus task force member Dr Anthony Fauci told CNBC on Wednesday that US was "going in the wrong direction".

"If things do not change, if they continue on the course we're on, there's going to be a whole lot of pain in this country with regard to additional cases and hospitalizations and deaths."

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