The United States saw more than 75,000 new cases of the novel coronavirus, as hospitals in Georgia and Arizona are looking to nearby states to take on patients, according to a news report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota.
According to the New York Times, over 75,000 cases were recorded in a 24-hour period, a record high since the United States first started fighting widespread transmission of the virus in March. The United States now has more than 3,600,000 cases and almost 139,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
National Public Radio reports that hospital workers in Georgia describe an imploding admission situation, with administrators calling hospitals in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida to check for bed availability. Per the Georgia Department of Public Health, the state reported almost 4,000 cases in one day, and over 300 hospitalizations.
The news comes after Governor Brian Kemp said he was personally suing Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the Atlanta city council over local mask mandates. Kemp claims Lance Bottom's mask mandate violates his emergency order, which prevents local action from being more prohibitive than the state's requirements, according to CNN. Under Atlanta's mask mandate, not wearing a mask in public is punishable by a fine and even jail time.
In related news, Arizona is also confronting quickly filling hospitals and sending some patients to New Mexico for treatment. The Albuquerque Journal reports that now hospital beds in that city are filling up with sick Arizonans.
