Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The United States added close to another 45,000 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday -- the same day President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump became part of the national tally, updated data showed Friday.
According to research at Johns Hopkins University, there were about 43,800 new cases and 850 deaths nationwide.
On average, about 700 U.S. patients have died each day over the past week, according to the data.
For September, the United States added an average of 43,000 cases per day, virtually unchanged from August.
Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 7.28 million cases and 207,900 deaths nationwide, according to Johns Hopkins.
The president and first lady tested positive and began quarantining early Friday. Vice President Mike Pence, second lady Karen Pence, White House advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and Barron Trump, the president's 14-year-old son, all tested negative.
White House physician Sean Conley said the president's medical team "will maintain a vigilant watch" on the Trumps as they recover at home.
In Wisconsin, which has one of the nation's highest positivity rates, officials reported a record number of cases Thursday as hospitals warned they are nearing full capacity.
Hospitalizations fell slightly, but patients in intensive care has risen to a record high, officials said.
To bring help into overwhelmed areas like the Fox Valley, Gov. Tony Evers and Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm on Thursday gave emergency authorization for healthcare workers in other states to practice in Wisconsin.
Hospital officials have warned that capacity has become seriously threatened by the rapid spread of the virus.
In Iowa, officials said hospitalizations spiked Thursday to almost 400 admissions statewide.
In Ames, Iowa State University loosened quarantine rules for students in accordance with new guidelines. With the changes, students are no longer required to quarantine if they wore a mask during contact on campus with someone who tested positive.
Most students who have quarantined so far were exposed to the virus off campus, Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen said in a letter to students.
