Also Read | How rural schooling is going into the darkThe number of hospitalized Covid patients -- 113,000 -- is also at its highest level since the beginning of the pandemic in March, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services.The situation is starting to improve in the Midwest, where the number of new daily cases and hospitalizations is decreasing.However, the epidemic is picking up steam in the Northeast and the West, according to the Covid Tracking Project, which compiles data from around the country every day.California is especially facing a dearth of available intensive care beds.