Our updates is published. States reported a record number of tests (831k) and cases (71k). At 977, the reported death count is the highest since May 29. Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 rose to a level we haven’t seen since April 23.

Cases are moving up not only because of the known hotspot states, but because the surge is broadening. Nine states reported over 2000 new cases today.

The South, as a whole, reported more than 500 new deaths today, a new high for the region.

South Carolina reported 72 new deaths, 30 more than the state has ever reported in a day, and a very large number for a state that has a quarter of the population of Florida.

Sometimes, when a state reports a large number of deaths, it is because they caught up on a reporting backlog of deaths that occurred long in the past.

These are recent deaths reported with standard lag. 58 of the 72 deaths in today's numbers occurred in the last five days.

Eight Southern states outside Texas and Florida currently have over 1,000 patients hospitalized with COVID-19.