The U.S. on Friday reported over 57,000 new coronavirus cases, marking the third consecutive day of more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases nationwide, per data from the COVID Tracking Project.
The state of play: The U.S. is facing another wave of COVID-19 cases as temperatures begin to drop and states continue their gradual reopenings. The pace of coronavirus infections increased last week in 23 states plus Washington, D.C., and only declined in four states and Puerto Rico, Axios' Sam Baker writes.
- The last time the U.S. recorded over 50,000 new cases for three consecutive days was in mid-August.
Between the lines: The uptick in cases comes amid cooling weather, which could accelerate the virus' transmission, per the MIT Technology Review.
- Flu season is also on the horizon — putting more strain on many of the same medical resources needed to treat the coronavirus.
- Ventilators and hospital beds could again be in short supply if cases get out of hand.