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Small gatherings are becoming a growing source of Covid-19 spread, a leading health expert said, as at least 36 states are now reporting increased cases of the virus and hospitalizations are on the rise nationwide. "In the public square, we're seeing a higher degree of vigilance and mitigation steps in many jurisdictions," US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said during a call with the nation's governors on Tuesday. Audio of the call was obtained by CNN. (Maxouris, 10/14)

U.S. coronavirus cases are rising again, driven by rapid transmission in Midwestern states and sparking fears that a forewarned wave of infections this fall and winter has begun. For almost a month, new U.S. cases have been trending upward. Since Saturday, more than 20 states have hit a new high in their seven-day average of case counts, and more than half of those states set records again on Tuesday, according to data tracked by The Washington Post. (Wan and Dupree, 10/13)

North Dakota looks poised to become the No. 1 state in the nation by cumulative Covid-19 cases per capita, having surged past Florida and Mississippi with Louisiana just ahead. South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Montana are also quickly adding cases. (Levin, 10/13)

During this pandemic, people in the United States are currently dying at rates unparalleled elsewhere in the world. A new report in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that over the last 5 months per capita deaths in the U.S., both from COVID-19 and other causes have been far greater than in 18 other high-income countries. "It's shocking. It's horrible," says Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a professor of health policy and medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the authors of the study. (Beaubien, 10/13)

Coronavirus cases are rising in Michigan and COVID-19 hospitalizations have spiked 80% in recent weeks, climbing in all regions of the state, health officials warned Tuesday. "It is very possible that this is the beginning of a second wave," said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. (Shamus, 10/13)

Declaring Utah’s continuing surge of coronavirus cases “unacceptable,” Gov. Gary Herbert announced the state will abandon its previous color codes for a new strategy that ties restrictions to local case numbers and testing rates. Masks will be required in several of Utah’s counties under the statewide order. (Alberty, 10/13)