⁍ Illinois reported over 31,000 new cases in the last seven days, more new infections than any other state except Texas.

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⁍ Other states have walked back reopening plans to curb the spread of the virus as cooler weather sets in across most of the nation.

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⁍ Experts believe the virus is surging because of private social gatherings, colder temperatures driving people inside, and fatigue with COVID-19 precautions.

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– The bad news keeps on coming for people infected with a virus often referred to as “the walking dead”: coronavirus has now infected nearly half a million people in the US and killed more than 5,600, reports Reuters. The good news is that it’s slowing down. The worst of the outbreak is in the Midwest, with Illinois reporting more than 31,000 new cases in the last seven days—more than any state except Texas—and setting records for hospitalizations and cases. “We are seeing all sorts of patients,” says Ogechika Alozie, an infectious disease specialist in El Paso, Texas. “The narrative historically has been the above-65, those with multiple co-morbidities. But we’re seeing 20-year-olds. We’re seeing 30-year-olds, 40-year-olds. There’s that exhaustion, but again, we buckle up and we take care of the patients.”