U.S. averaging almost 45K COVID-19 cases a day so far in October

Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The United States has added nearly 40,000 new COVID-19 cases and close to 500 deaths, according to updated figures from Johns Hopkins University on Tuesday.

Research at the university showed 39,500 cases on Monday, an increase of about 4,000 from Sunday. Since the start of October, the United States has averaged almost 45,000 new cases per day.

Since the start of the outbreak early this year, there have been 7.46 million cases and 210,300 deaths nationwide, according to Johns Hopkins.

Only four states have seen fewer new cases this week -- Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri and South Carolina -- while 22 have seen more cases and 24 others are flat.

CNN reported Tuesday that Trump administration officials have turned down offers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help investigate a recent outbreak among top White House advisers and President Donald Trump.

The administration has repeatedly rebuffed the CDC's help in examining the outbreak source that sickened at least a dozen people who have been at the White House or in contact with Trump, the report said.

Other than Trump, those who have also tested positive in recent days include first lady Melania Trump, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, campaign manager Bill Stepien, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway.

White House spokesperson Judd Deere said the administration has "plans and procedures" in place based on CDC guidelines and "best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure." He also said officials have "established a robust contact tracing program led by the White House Medical Unit with CDC integration."

Trump left the hospital on Monday, but Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, said it's possible he could relapse.

"Sometimes when you're five to eight days in, you can have a reversal," Fauci said. "A reversal meaning, going in the wrong direction and get into trouble."

In South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem has told lawmakers her state has provided a national example of how to handle the pandemic without resorting to lockdowns.

A supporter of Trump's, Noem made the comments as lawmakers were preparing to vote on how to distribute nearly $600 million in federal aid.

In recent weeks, South Dakota has set record numbers of new cases and deaths. Over the past week, the rate of new cases was 46.5 per 100,000 residents, which was second only to North Dakota, according to the Brown School of Public Health.