In total, there were 103,087 cases reported, breaking not only a US record, but a single-day record for any country, anywhere in the world, since the pandemic began.
The New York Times reports that 19 states recorded more cases over the last seven days than in any other seven-day period in 2020.
New daily records were reported in Minnesota, Indiana and Maine. The Times reports that Minnesota has recorded a near-80 per cent increase in cases over the past 14 days and Indiana has seen a 71 per cent increase over that same period.
Deaths from Covid-19 are also on the rise, up by 14 per cent across the country in the past fortnight.
Despite that, polling showed US voters did not turn on President Donald Trump for his handling of the pandemic — a time that saw more than 233,000 American lives lost and more than nine million people infected.
An NBC News poll showed 31 per cent of adults over 65 — the most at-risk group — viewed the handling of the economy as more important than the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and would vote accordingly.
In Florida, where there is a large proportion of older voters, a poll found the majority believe Trump would handle the pandemic better than his opponent, Joe Biden.
The Atlantic reports that as winter nears, "the country's third surge of infection is dangerously accelerating in almost every region".
"This is the reality that the United States is facing, regardless of who will become its next chief executive: A deadly respiratory pandemic is spiralling out of control, and the number of hospitalised people — and deaths — is certain to rise over the next several months," the magazine said today.
Epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding wrote on Twitter that the new daily record was "SOBERING".
"US reports over 100,000 coronavirus cases in 24 hours for the first time ever. Smashes all-time record.
"We have basically lost this battle. Not sure if Christmas is even saveable unless we do something drastic fast."
He noted that, of concern, "children make up 11 per cent of all US cases, up from 2 per cent in April".
And while the virus runs rampant in the US, claiming lives along the way, President Trump is thinking of other things — including how to stop votes that look certain to favour his opponent from being counted.
