New York, December 4 (RHC)-- The United States has set yet another world record for daily coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and fatalities, with over 216,000 infections confirmed Thursday and more than 2,800 deaths.  Nearly 101,000 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 across the United States.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom has imposed sweeping remain-at-home orders covering the vast majority of California’s population.  Gov. Newsom said: “Just in the last 14 days, close to 1,000 Californians have lost their lives due to COVID-19. The bottom line is, if we don’t act now, our hospital system will be overwhelmed.  If we don’t act now, we’ll continue to see a death rate climb.”

Governor Newsom’s order came a day after Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned his city is nearing a “devastating tipping point,” ordering residents to remain at home and skip social gatherings in order to prevent “needless suffering and death.”

In Rhode Island, officials have opened two field hospitals with a combined 900 beds to relieve hospitals as COVID-19 cases hit new record highs.  Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo says the problem now is finding enough medical workers to handle the surge.  On Thursday, she appealed to retired and unemployed healthcare workers to join the effort.