The Atlantic: A Dreadful New Peak for the American Pandemic
“The United States reported 103,087 cases of COVID-19 [on Wednesday], the highest single-day total on record, according to the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic. It marks the first time that the country — or any country in the world, for that matter — has documented more than 100,000 new cases in one day. At the same time, states reported that more than 52,000 people are hospitalized with the coronavirus, the highest level since early August. The number of people hospitalized nationwide is increasing faster in November than it did in October, and — over the past 10 days — their ranks have risen by about 1,000 people a day…” (Meyer/Madrigal, 11/4).

CNN: The time is now to develop a testing strategy for asymptomatic Covid-19 cases, CDC director says
“As the U.S. recorded its five highest days of coronavirus cases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said this is the perfect time to develop a strategy to better detect asymptomatic cases. … By the CDC’s estimate, 40% of people with Covid-19 show no symptoms…” (Vera et al., 11/4).

Science: U.S. elections bring wins and losses for research community
“It’s not yet clear who will be the next U.S. president and which party will control the Senate. And although Democrats in the House of Representatives will remain in the majority in the next Congress, there was no blue wave. That last takeaway from [Tuesday’s] elections — with many votes still to be counted — is not good news for several candidates and incumbents with science backgrounds and those holding influential positions on the House science committee…” (Mervis/Malakoff, 11/4).

STAT: ‘Science was on the ballot’: How can public health recover from a rebuke at the polls?
“Even without a presidential winner, one thing is already certain: The 2020 election results were a disaster for public health. Results from Tuesday and early Wednesday underscore just how many Americans agree with a president who has called the nation’s top scientists ‘idiots,’ openly mocked mask-wearing, and has insisted states must be ‘liberated’ from lockdowns. No matter who wins the presidency, more than 67 million Americans already seem to have sided with Trump on public health. … That leaves public health officials to grapple with hard, existential questions: How can they forge new relationships with this huge swath of the country as the pandemic continues to unfold? Where does the public health field go from here?…” (Florko, 11/4).

Additional coverage of rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., as well as election results’ impacts on public health, is available from AP, CNN, Financial Times, The Hill, Reuters, and Washington Post.