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COVID crisis: These states have seen the biggest case increases in the last two weeks

NORTH LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 12: Spc. Demetrie Barnett of the Nevada National Guard administers a COVID-19 test during a preview of a free drive-thru COVID-19 testing site in the parking garage of the Texas Station Gambling Hall & Hotel on November 12, 2020 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The site will open on November 13 amid increased demand for testing due to a surge in coronavirus cases in the state. Over the past two weeks, Nevada has averaged close to 1,000 new coronavirus cases per day, with a 13.7 percent test positivity rate. Clark County is partnering with the Southern Nevada Health District, Nevada National Guard, University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, city of North Las Vegas and Station Casinos, which owns the property, to open the site. Texas Station has been closed since mid-March because of the pandemic. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

DALLAS (NEXSTAR) — With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the nation spiking to record levels, we’re starting to see states bring back restrictions, urge people to work from home and ask schools to go back to remote learning.

The U.S. set a single-day record of more than 160,000 coronavirus cases on Thursday. Cases nationwide were up more than 70% in the last 14 days.

In addition to a new high in hospitalizations, we’re seeing death counts slowly climb. On Thursday, more than 1,100 people died — up 33% from two weeks earlier.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is recommending masks at Thanksgiving gatherings if the coronavirus status of people is unknown. The nation’s top infectious disease expert told “CBS This Morning” that “even if it’s a very small group, to the extent possible, keep the mask on.”

Fauci says if families have either quarantined or been tested for the coronavirus, it’s not as necessary. But he says it’s wise to take precautions.

The situation is only expected to worsen as temperatures drop and we enter what many health experts have labeled a “dark winter.”

With the virus surging across the nation, here’s a look at states with the largest 14-day case increases (by percentages):

Latest case numbers from the New York Times.