⁍ Six U.S. states reported record day-over-day increases in COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday.

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⁍ Deaths attributed to COVID-19 hit daily records in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Kansas, Hawaii and Wisconsin.

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⁍ The number of patients in U.S. hospitals suffering from the virus hit 40,000 for the first time since August.

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– Six states reported record day-over-day increases in coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, as infections rose across the Midwest and elsewhere, prompting new clampdowns on residents, schools, and businesses, Reuters reports. Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Colorado, and Ohio reported record daily increases in new infections, the tally showed. The number of patients in US hospitals suffering from the virus hit 40,000 for the first time since August on Wednesday, according to the analysis. “Folks, please stay home,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement. “Help us protect our communities from this highly-contagious virus and avoid further strain on our hospitals.” Evers said a week-old field hospital in the Milwaukee suburbs had admitted its first patient. Wisconsin is a pivotal state in the Nov. 3 election between President Trump and Democrat Joe Biden. The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 221,000 people in the United States and thrown millions out of work. Opinion polls show Trump’s handling of the pandemic has hurt his re-election prospects. In Kansas, where the death toll rose by 80 on Wednesday, Gov. Laura Kelly said the pandemic was putting a strain on hospitals and that all 62 residents of a nursing home in Norton County had contracted the virus. Ten had died.