US records over 71K coronavirus cases in single day, approaching record high

Updated: Oct 23, 2020 / 12:02 PM CDT

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 22: Meals are prepared and placed on an outdoor table for people to receive at the Thessalonica Christian Church during a distribution on October 22, 2020 in New York City. The Bronx, a borough which has long struggled with poverty, has been especially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The official unemployment rate in the Bronx is approximately 21%, while the unofficial number is presumed to be almost twice that. With many residents unable to afford health care and being home to a significant amount of front-line workers, the Bronx has the highest COVID-19 death rate in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in the United States on Thursday approached the highest on record.

With 71,671 new confirmed cases on Thursday, the United States approached its one-day record high of 77,362 new cases on July 16, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Only India has reported more cases in a single day: 97,894 on Sept. 17.

U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar attributed the increase in cases to behavior of individuals, saying household gatherings have become a “major vector of disease spread.”

On Thursday, there were 856 reported deaths in the United States, Johns Hopkins data shows.

Some states’ cases are increasing, a trend that is prompting some governors to issue new restrictions, including on bars and restaurants in some parts of Illinois.

In New York state, which was devastated by the pandemic in the spring, movie theaters will open their doors to live audiences for the first time in months, albeit at 25% capacity and with restrictions. But in New York City, theaters would remain darkened for now, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s directive.