Friday was the worst day so far for COVID-19 cases since the pandemic started, with a staggering 83,757 new cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. Experts predict that as cold weather approaches, things may only get worse. In the past month, hospitalizations have skyrocketed by 40 percent in the nation. Thankfully, the number of deaths per day has consistently low although this indicator lags behind rising cases. On Friday, 943 American residents died. Illinois, Rhode Island, Montana, and South Dakota are some of the worst hit states. “It’s been rise after rise after rise, week after week,” said Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Nothing has been added to the mix that’s going to make things slow down.”