Coronavirus hospitalizations in the US reach record high, data shows

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COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States on Tuesday reached 61,964, a record high, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project.

The Tuesday numbers surpass those from April 15, when 59,940 people across the country were hospitalized due to the novel coronavirus. To date, the cumulative number of hospitalizations in the U.S. has surpassed half a million at 500,692, per the data.

News of the hospitalization surge across many states comes as the US earlier this week surpassed 10 million coronavirus cases. (iStock)

The last time hospitalizations rates nearly reached the 60,000 mark was on July 23, when some 59,718 people were hospitalized, or during the so-called “second peak” that occurred over the summer. 

Hospitalizations have been trending upward over the past weeks, with medical professionals treating COVID patients feeling the effects first hand. The Midwest and Texas, in particular, are driving the hospitalization surge.

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In Minnesota, for instance, state director of infectious disease Kris Ehresmann said last week that 92% of beds in intensive care units (ICUs) were full. In Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced another $28 million in relief for the state’s hospitals and county health departments to address staffing needs, per a news release. And in North Dakota, health officials pointed to staffing strains as a key issue in treating the recent influx of coronavirus patients. 

In Texas, the city of El Paso has more people currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 than 29 states, Bloomberg reported. As of Tuesday, some 1,076 people were hospitalized in the border city, according to official estimates.  

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Texas also hit a grim milestone early Wednesday when it became the first state to surpass 1 million coronavirus cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. 

News of the hospitalization surge across many states comes as the U.S. earlier this week surpassed 10 million coronavirus cases, becoming the first nation to do so. 

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Fox News’ Kayla Rivas and David Aaro contributed to this report.