(Relevant) The pandemic isn’t over just because you’re over it. Far from being over, the pandemic has actually never been more on in the U.S., with Thursday’s 77,640 reported new cases setting a new single-day record. This brings the total number of COVID cases in the U.S. to around 8.5 million, with 224, 280 deaths. On Thursday alone, 921 people died of coronavirus-related causes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The previous single-day record was set on July 29, with 75,723 new cases.