We Haven't Seen This COVID Number Since July

On Thursday, the United States saw a new coronavirus case count of 71,671, according to Johns Hopkins University—that's the third most ever, behind 77,362 on July 16 and 73,107 on July 24, the Wall Street Journal reports. Reuters' count is even worse: It logs 76,195 new cases Thursday, which is good for second place. Another hint that a virus surge is underway: a look at the seven-day national moving average versus the 14-day. As of Wednesday they're 59,990 and 56,168, respectively, and the paper notes a higher 7-day average suggests we're on an upward trajectory.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that nine states—Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming—saw their highest daily jump ever in new cases on Oct. 16. The WSJ notes some of the recent rise is the result of an increase in testing, which can pick up milder or asymptomatic cases that might otherwise not get noticed. Still, the positivity rate from those tests is also seeing an uptick, reaching 5.6% Wednesday, compared with 4.6% a month or so ago. A bit of good news, per health experts: The death rate is decreasing, thanks to more young people contracting the virus in recent months, as well as better detection and treatment than what was available earlier in the pandemic. (More coronavirus stories.)