U.S. surpasses 8 million COVID-19 cases: 'We are headed in the wrong direction'

woman wearing a mask walks the Brooklyn Bridge in the midst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on March 20, 2020 in New York City.

(Image credit: Victor J. Blue/Getty Images)

published 16 October 2020

The number of COVID-19 cases reported in the United States has surpassed eight million, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. has seen a rising number of new daily coronavirus infections with a one-week average of more than 53,000 cases a day, an increase of over 55 percent in about a month, CNN reports.

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, had previously stressed over the summer the need for the U.S. to get its number of daily COVID-19 cases down to 10,000 by September to avoid another giant wave, a goal that was ultimately not reached. Regarding the number of new cases being reported each day right now, Fauci this week told CNBC, "That’s a bad place to be when you're going into the cooler weather of the fall and the colder weather of the winter," adding, "We're in a bad place now. We've got to turn this around."

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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