U.S. sees record 131,000 COVID-19 infections as hospitalizations hit peak

The U.S. confirmed a record-high 130,989 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, while the number of people currently hospitalized with the virus hit a peak of 61,964, according to a tally by the COVID Tracking Project.

By the numbers: The spread of the virus is showing no signs of slowing, as the U.S. surpassed 10 million reported cases on Monday. The 15 days with the highest number of new cases have all taken place over the past 18 days.

• The previous record of 126,480 new cases was set on Nov. 7, and the country last saw peak hospitalization .

Worth noting: Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced on Monday its vaccine trial was effective in preventing COVID-19 infections in 90% of previously uninfected people and did not produce any serious safety concerns.

• But the vaccine is not likely be available until April, public health officials have said.

What to watch: Health experts have warned of the heightened risk for increased cases and deaths as the U.S. heads into the winter months, and the pandemic intersects with the season flu.

• Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said last Sunday that his "view is the inflection point will be Thanksgiving," when states could start seeing exponential growth.

Go deeper: The pandemic is getting worse again