Seven months into this global pandemic and the United States is still seeing a rise in infections. With our highest ever recorded daily case count just three days ago, hopes that this crisis would be over by the end of 2020 are all but dashed. Midwestern states, even those that had been doing comparatively well over the summer, are now experiencing the types of case spikes that the rest of the country faced at varying intervals over the past year. Notably, it was just reported that if North Dakota was a country, it would currently be experiencing the worst outbreak in the entire world, proving that even states with lower populations will not be eschewed by this virus.

As debates over mask mandates rage on, Americans can’t seem to reach a consensus on the appropriate line between public health measures and personal freedoms. Whether or not this inherent individualism can be superseded for the collective good of this country is yet to be seen. In the meantime, one thing is for certain—the United States is once again headed down another difficult road, especially as the cooling temperatures drive more folks indoors, where the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission is far greater.