U.S. hits record high with nearly 500,000 COVID-19 cases in a single day
CBSN
The U.S. reported nearly half a million new COVID infections in a single day, marking the largest daily total of any country during the pandemic. More than 486,000 new cases were reported in a 24-hour period, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
Fifteen states reported a record-high number of average daily infections: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington. Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., are also averaging more daily cases than ever.
With COVID-19 cases rising so fast, fueled by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, it's estimated that more than three Americans are testing positive every second, according to CDC data. In New York, cases are up 11% since Wednesday.
Scientists say they've discovered the world's biggest coral, so huge it was mistaken for a shipwreck
Scientists say they have found the world's largest coral near the Pacific's Solomon Islands, announcing Thursday a major discovery "pulsing with life and color." The coral is so immense that researchers sailing the crystal waters of the Solomon archipelago initially thought they'd stumbled across a hulking shipwreck.