MIAMI _ The U.S. is headed for its worst week of COVID-19 in months as a resurgence takes hold in the Northeast and outbreaks in the Midwest result in unprecedented death.
The seven-day average of new cases climbed to 46,824 on Thursday, the most since Aug. 19, according to the most recent Johns Hopkins University data. Thursday's single-day total of 56,145 was the second-highest since the June-August Sun Belt surge.
The uptick is a test for governments and healthcare systems that have months of experience and new drugs. But they're also facing pandemic fatigue coupled with Republican-led efforts to block or undo public-health measures. While the virus is hitting many parts of rural America for the first time, the Tristate Area is dealing with the early stages of a comeback.
Testing has kept pace with cases in many parts of the country, and the ratio of seven-day cases to tests is more or less flat in the past several weeks _ at around 4.5%. But current hospitalizations are rising, reaching 34,322 on Thursday, the most since Sept. 3, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
Around the U.S.:
_South Dakota reported a record 14 deaths Thursday, and the seven-day toll reached 36, also a pandemic high.
_North Dakota's outbreak, about 62 daily average cases per 100,000 residents, is now significantly worse than Florida at its peak of 55.
_Illinois on Thursday recorded 3,059 new cases, the highest single-day tally since May, excluding a day in September when the state released backlogged results.
