Pennsylvania reports largest single-day spike in coronavirus cases

Health officials in Pennsylvania reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases early Tuesday morning as the key battleground state steps into the national spotlight on Election Day.

The 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.

There are 1,352 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Of that number, 301 patients are in the intensive care unit.

Pennsylvania is the latest state to record a spike in coronavirus infections. The most serious outbreaks have been spread across crucial political battlegrounds in the Midwest, including Wisconsin, which saw more than 5,000 new cases Friday.

Residents are encouraged to wear face coverings if they are going to cast their ballots in person on Tuesday, though Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State website said “voters who are not wearing a mask will not be denied their right to vote.”

Pennsylvania is the key to the election strategies for both President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who was leading in preelection state polls by 4.7 percentage points in the FiveThirtyEight average on Election Day, down from 7.3 points a few weeks ago.

News of the record-breaking coronavirus cases comes after both Biden and Trump, as well as their respective running mates Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Vice President Pence, have spent significant time in the the Keystone State in the final days of the bitter 2020 campaign.

On Election Day, Biden visited his childhood home in Scranton, Pa., and signed the same living room wall he wrote on during his 2008 run alongside then-nominee Barack Obama.