As voters went to polls on Election Day, the U.S. saw an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases nationwide. The number of people hospitalized reached record highs in a growing number of states.
The Associated Press reports while daily infections were rising in all but three states, the surge was most pronounced in the Midwest and Southwest.
Missouri, Oklahoma, Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, North Dakota and New Mexico all reported record high hospitalizations this week. Nebraska’s largest hospitals started limiting elective surgeries and looked to bring in nurses from other states to cope with the surge. Meanwhile, hospital officials in Iowa and Missouri warned bed capacity could soon be overwhelmed.
While many Americans took advantage of expanded access to mail-in voting, lines were long in many polling places, with record turnout expected and reminders of the pandemic everywhere.
Additional reporting by Alexandra Olson of The Associated Press.
Contains footage fromCNN.
