US COVID-19 Cases Top 120,000, Break Record for 2nd Consecutive Day

A total of 120,048 people tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, nearly 16,000 more than on Wednesday, according to an NBC News tally.

The United States has the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the world. More than 236,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the US, according to NBC News data.

Hospitalization and case counts have surged across much of the country, with the Midwest and the Southwest getting hit the hardest. Doctors and officials have warned people that hospitals could quickly become overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

Wisconsin had one of the largest single-day increases in the country Wednesday, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

"While the state and country turned its eyes to the presidential election, Wisconsin had another record-setting day for COVID-19 cases, with 5,935 Wisconsinites testing positive on Wednesday," Gov. Tony Evers said Thursday in his Democratic radio address.

"Folks, this pandemic isn't happening some place else or to somebody else," he said. "Wisconsinites in every corner of our state know firsthand the tragedy and loss of this virus."

The virus continues to spread in other key battleground states in the election. Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina each recorded more than 2,000 cases in a single day.