184,514 new COVID-19 cases in 1 day; states ramp up safety measures: 5 updates 

Molly Gamble (Twitter) -

The U.S. recorded 184,514 new COVID-19 infections Nov. 13, a 20 percent increase from the new case count one day prior, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The country also hit a 10-day high in daily deaths, with 1,431 reported Nov. 13. 

The COVID Tracking Project reported more 68,516 hospitalizations for Nov. 13, with 19 percent of those patients in intensive care units and 6 percent on ventilators. 

Here are several other noteworthy developments related to COVID-19 in the U.S. over the past 24 hours:

1. Several governors rolled out measures Nov. 13 to mitigate the virus's spread, according to the Wall Street Journal

  • New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a two-week shutdown of all nonessential activities effective Nov. 16. COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state tripled in the past four weeks.
  • Oregon Gov. Kate Brown tightened capacity restrictions for restaurants, gyms, retail stores and places of worship, effective Nov. 18. 
  • Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam expanded a mask mandate and restricted public and private gatherings in the state to 25 people, effective Nov. 15. Masks are now required for everyone age 5 and older, rather than age 10 and older.
  • New York's court system issued plans to indefinitely halt most in-person proceedings, including jury duty. 
  • North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum issued a mask mandate effective Nov. 14 through Dec. 13, as well as capacity limitations for bars, restaurants and event venues.
  • Vermont Gov. Phil Scott issued an executive order to close bars and clubs and ban multihousehold gatherings of any size, according to The Boston Globe

2. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is reopening the state's field hospital after it went inactive roughly five months ago, according to The Boston Globe. The 240-bed facility at the DCU Center in Worcester should be primed to accept patients the first week of December. 

3. The recent widespread surge of COVID-19 cases across most of the U.S. is prompting several states to adjust plans for schooling. Detroit, Boston and Baltimore have shut down or scaled back in-person learning because of increases in coronavirus cases, the Wall Street Journal reports. New York City's mayor warned parents Nov. 13 that the schools could be closed as soon as Monday if COVID-19 cases continued their climb.

4. Wisconsin's field hospital, which opened Oct. 14 on the state fairgrounds in West Allis, currently has 15 patients under its roof, Wisconsin Public Radio reports. The site could accommodate 50 patients upon opening; as operations ramped up it could take up to 530. WPR reports that the facility is too far for some patients from central and Northern Wisconsin, while others have refused to go to the field hospital even after education about how the alternate care site could free up hospital beds for those who are critically ill. 

5. Fewer systems and clinician communities have the option to send help. The geographic distribution of COVID-19 activity means it is less likely that hospitals could deploy a similar strategy to the first and second surges earlier this year, in which medical professionals traveled to reinforce care teams in cities and areas that were in the height of crisis. "We haven't extended the request, but I'm confident that there's no one that could come to help," Jeff Jensen, MD, a critical care physician who splits his time between Mayo Clinic Rochester and Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wis., told Bloomberg. "They would be busy taking care of the local issues in their community."









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