Wisconsin, Minnesota report record new coronavirus cases

Wisconsin and Minnesota joined Pennsylvania on Tuesday in reporting a record high number of new coronavirus cases as the nation headed to the polls for Election Day. 

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 5,771 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, surpassing a previous record that was only set on Saturday, WISN 12 News notes. 

The Badger State also reported 52 new deaths and 247 new hospitalizations from the virus. 

Overall, there have been 238,067 cases in Wisconsin since the pandemic began, and 2,102 people have died. Seventy-one of the state’s 72 counties have reported deaths as of Tuesday.  

Your #COVID19_WI update shows a record high number of new cases, with 5,771 people reported positive. Menominee County reports its first life lost to this virus, which means 71 of 72 #Wisconsin counties have reported deaths. Please help us #StopTheSpread: https://t.co/azIna3TqRR pic.twitter.com/wSnnFeV40S

— WIDeptHealthServices (@DHSWI) November 3, 2020

The Minnesota Department of Health reported 3,483 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing its cumulative total to 157,096. The state also reported 15 deaths, making 2,499 since the pandemic began. 

Earlier in the day, Pennsylvania reported its largest single-day increase in cases. The Keystone State reported 2,875 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 214,871. An additional 32 new deaths were reported, raising the death toll to 8,855. 

The U.S. has entered a new wave of the coronavirus pandemic, and the most serious outbreaks have been spread across the Midwest. Experts predict that cases will increase in the coming months as the cooling weather forces many outdoor events indoors, where the virus spreads easier. 

President Trump has repeatedly tried to reassure Americans that his administration is helping the nation “round the corner” on cases, and suggested the virus would soon disappear with or without a vaccine for widespread use. 

The Washington Post on Monday reported that White House coronavirus task force member Deborah Birx warned officials in the Trump administration that the nation is “entering the most concerning and most deadly phase of this pandemic … leading to increasing mortality.” 

“This is not about lockdowns — It hasn’t been about lockdowns since March or April,” she wrote in an internal memo obtained by the Post. “It’s about an aggressive balanced approach that is not being implemented.”

There have been more than 9.3 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. since the pandemic began, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 232,000 people have died.