evidence: The U.S. on Thursday reported more than 159,000 COVID-19 cases in a single day, beating the previous record of 144,305 set the day prior, according to NBC News. This is the ninth day in a row with more than 100,000 cases reported as a nationwide surge continues shattering records. At least 1,136 deaths were reported Thursday, NBC News reports. [...] But newly confirmed cases per day in the U.S. have rocketed more than 70% over the past two weeks, reaching an average of about 127,000 — the highest on record. And the number of people hospitalized with the virus hit an all-time high of more than 65,000.