America's daily coronavirus case count surpasses 55,000

A Florida coronavirus testing site
(Image credit: Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

The United States hit another grim milestone in the coronavirus pandemic Thursday, recording 55,220 new daily cases, according to The Washington Post. Georgia and Florida both set single-day records — Georgia reported 3,472 new daily cases, while Florida recorded a staggering 10,109 cases Thursday, up more than 3,500 from Wednesday's record-breaking total. "It's the 25th consecutive day that Florida has set a record high in its seven-day rolling average," the Post says.

Texas reported nearly 8,000 new cases Thursday, and in Houston, hospitals are being forced to transfer patients to facilities in other parts of the state as intensive care units near capacity due to the surge in COVID-19 patients. "We're running out of ICU beds," Harris Health Systems spokesman Bryan McLeod told ABC News. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) mandated everyone in the state wear masks in public to help slow the spread of the virus.

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Jessica Hullinger

Jessica Hullinger is a writer and former deputy editor of The Week Digital. Originally from the American Midwest, she completed a degree in journalism at Indiana University Bloomington before relocating to New York City, where she pursued a career in media. After joining The Week as an intern in 2010, she served as the title’s audience development manager, senior editor and deputy editor, as well as a regular guest on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. Her writing has featured in other publications including Popular Science, Fast Company, Fortune, and Self magazine, and she loves covering science and climate-related issues.