The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in a single day reached a record high in the U.S., with 37,077 reported Thursday, CNN reported, citing Johns Hopkins University's tally. The country's case total exceeds 2.4 million. Amid regional spikes, some states have paused their reopening plans.

Reopening plans change

The focus of the pandemic has moved to the U.S. West and South. Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Thursday that his state will pause its reopening following "an explosion" of new COVID-19 cases. " The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses," Abbott said in a statement, adding that this temporary pause will help the state corral the spread until it can safely enter the next phase of opening the state for business.

Several other states, including Oregon, Louisiana and Kansas have also announced they will put reopening plans on hold. Some bars and restaurants in Orlando are closing again voluntarily amid the surge in COVID-19 cases.

North Carolina delayed the start of its third phase of reopening, which had been due to begin on June 26.

Utah Governor Gary Herbert said last week his state would pause further opening. "I don't want to go forward and then take a step backward," Herbert told reporters at a press briefing.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said on Monday that the state would keep its current Phase Two plan for an additional 28 days.

"It is clear that COVID is alive and well in Louisiana, and as we see more people testing positive and admitted to hospitals, we simply are not ready to move to the next phase, and ease restrictions further as businesses open widely," Edwards said.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, declared a budget emergency due to the pandemic.

Nearly 5,350 people in the state tested positive for the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, fewer than Wednesday's record of 7,149. But the number of Californians becoming very ill has continued to rise, using about 34 percent of the available intensive care beds in the state, up from 29 percent on Wednesday.

Disney is also delaying the reopening of its theme parks in California. Disneyland in Anaheim had been scheduled to welcome visitors back July 17, but the company now says that won't happen. It did not give a new date for reopening.

U.S. coronavirus cases may be 10 times higher than reported

Meanwhile, government experts believe more than 20 million Americans could have contracted the coronavirus, 10 times more than official counts, indicating many people without symptoms have or have had the disease, senior administration officials said.

The estimate, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is based on serology testing used to determine the presence of antibodies that show whether an individual has had the disease, the officials said.

The officials, speaking to a small group of reporters on Wednesday night, said the estimate was based on the number of known cases, between 2.3 million and 2.4 million, multiplied by the average rate of antibodies seen from the serology tests, about an average of 10 to 1.

"If you multiply the cases by that ratio, that's where you get that 20 million figure," said one official.

If true, the estimate would suggest the percentage of U.S. deaths from the disease is lower than thought. More than 120,000 Americans have died from the disease since the pandemic erupted earlier this year.

(With input from agencies)

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