The dire warnings come as more than 20 states have reported record highs for new cases within the past few days. According to The New York Times, the national daily average of new cases stood at 50,492 cases per day as of Oct. 13, which shows an increase of 19 percent from the average two weeks earlier. Hotez went on to describe how a relatively brief decline witnessed at the end of the summer was giving way to the grim prediction that a second or third wave of the virus was about to hit. “We went down to the lowest point lately in early September, around 30,000-35,000 new cases a day,” he explained. “Now we’re back up to (about) 50,000 new cases a day. And it’s going to continue to rise.” Read on to find out how bad things could get with COVID, based on the current projections from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. And for more signs to be aware of, know that This One “Wacky” Symptom Means You Have COVID, Not the Flu. Projected daily new COVID infections: 159,687ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Projected daily deaths due to COVID: 912 Projected total deaths due to COVID: 229,722 And for the latest on the possibility of reinfection, read about a 25-Year-Old’s Second COVID Case That’s Scaring Scientists. Projected daily new COVID infections: 250,572 Projected daily deaths due to COVID: 1,493 Projected total deaths due to COVID: 265,238 And if you want to stay safe, know that COVID Can Live for a Month on These 2 Items You Touch Every Day. Projected daily new COVID infections: 307,633 Projected daily deaths due to COVID: 2,198 Projected total deaths due to COVID: 323,338 And to see how your area of the U.S. is faring, Here’s How Fast COVID Is Spreading in Your State. Projected daily new COVID infections: 256,217 Projected daily deaths due to COVID: 2,233 Projected total deaths due to COVID: 394,693 And for more up-to-date information on COVID and more, sign up for our daily newsletter.