(CNN) The number of Covid-19 cases reported across the country is rising so fast that US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams warns it could be the worst week since the pandemic began. More than 70,000 new Covid-19 cases were reported in the US for the first time in the past three months on Thursday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. So far on Friday, there have been 50,852 new cases, Johns Hopkins says. Deaths are also creeping upward, with 856 on Thursday, Johns Hopkins says. Hospital officials say a major surge of new Covid-19 cases could threaten their ability to serve patients with many diagnoses requiring hospitalization.

Source: CNN October 23, 2020 07:53 UTC