U.S. hits highest daily COVID-19 case count since pandemic began

The U.S. confirmed at least 83,010 coronavirus cases on Friday, the country's highest daily total since the pandemic started, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project.

By the numbers: Friday's total surpassed the U.S.'s previous record set on July 17 when 76,842 cases were recorded. 

• The current surge is more widespread than the uptick seen on July 17, when just four states accounted for more than 40,000 cases recorded, according to the Washington Post.

Why it matters: Experts are warning that the U.S. is "facing a whole lot of trouble” as the country heads into the winter months.

• NIAID director Anthony Fauci told MSNBC last week that an uptick in hospitalizations in several states nationwide "is a bad place to be when you’re going into the cooler weather of the fall and the colder weather of the winter."
• Earlier Friday, Fauci warned such upticks are "will ultimately lead to an increase in deaths."

Worth noting: President Trump, without evidence, said during Thursday’s debate that the U.S. is “rounding the turn” in the pandemic and won’t “have a dark winter at all.”

• Joe Biden responded that “anyone responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States of America."

The big picture: Nearly 130,000 fewer people will die of COVID-19 this winter if 95% of Americans wear face masks in public, according to research published Friday.

Go deeper: The pandemic is getting worse again

Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout.