Paramedics prepare to transport a COVID-19 patient to a hospital in Houston on Wednesday, days after her father died of the virus. Texas' largest city is seeing a major surge of the Delta variant. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images
More than 100,000 Americans are now in the hospital with COVID-19.
Why it matters: It's the first time since January that coronavirus infections have surpassed 100,000. Hospitals and state health officials say the spike is driven by unvaccinated adults nationwide.
By the numbers: COVID-19 cases reached 100,517 on Tuesday and declined to 100,059 on Wednesday, according to Department of Health and Human Services data.
- These compare to 53,529 cases recorded on Aug. 1, per the Wall Street Journal.
The big picture: The Delta variant of the coronavirus is leaving hospitals across the country inundated, as they face staff shortages and burnout, Axios' Tina Reed notes.
- More than 77% of intensive care unit beds are in-use across the U.S., with Arkansas and Alabama officials reporting this week that their states have no spare ICU beds.