Hospitals in Michigan are now on alert as almost there 4,000 people are in hospital with the virus in the state - just shy of a record number. The latest figures show that 83 percent of ICU beds are now occupied and nine hospitals are completely full.

States across the Northeast, including New England and Vermont, are also reporting a rise in new infections. In New York, daily case rates are almost double what they were at the beginning of this month. Meanwhile, rows over corporate vaccine mandates have flared up as hundreds of Google employees sign a manifesto resisting a company mandate.

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In its statement, the group confirmed the other three members of the group – Rosé, Jennie, and Jisoo – are currently waiting for their PCR test results, while noting that none of them have been “classified as close contacts yet”.

Officials claim that delaying the rule, enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), would lead to thousands of hospitalizations and deaths.

That includes 21 percent who said their lives are “very normal,” along with 53 percent who said their lives are “somewhat normal” when factoring in the impacts of the virus, according to the survey.

However, the optimistic outlook comes as COVID cases are again on the rise across much of the country. In the hardest-hit regions, like the Northeast and Midwest, hospitalizations are also beginning to soar and intensive care units are running out of beds, threatening the sense of a return to normality.

FULL STORY: 74 Percent of Americans Believe Their Lives Have Returned to Normal Amid Pandemic

The new executive order signed by Governor Chris Sununu will establish “surge centers” in space not typically used for inpatient care, like ambulatory surgical centers and outpatient clinics. It also makes it easier to add beds in rehabilitation facilities and will simplify licensing procedures to boost the state healthcare workforce.

FULL STORY: Record Number of COVID Hospitalizations Prompts NH Gov. to Order Setup of ‘Surge Centers’

In Kent County, where many Spectrum Health hospitals are located, figures show infections have soared by 94 percent in the past two weeks and hospitalizations are up nearly 40 percent in the same period.

The country has well surpassed its record daily infections, with numbers out of control and a government minister suggesting most people will be “vaccinated, cured or dead” in the coming months.

Large candle memorials (pictured) have been made by 60-year-old Gertrud Schop at various milestones throughout the pandemic, with one candle dedicated to each virus victim. It is not yet known whether she will be creating another artwork for the 100,000 milestone.

The mayor tweeted a heat map that shows Michigan suffering heavily from a new wave of infections in the Upper Midwest, which is now spreading to Northeastern and Southwestern states.

A ban on tourists and the requirement for returning residents to spend two weeks in a quarantine hotel, run by the military, has caused much frustration among travelers hoping to get home and/or rejoin loved ones.

COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the government had made difficult trade-offs to keep New Zealanders safe throughout the pandemic, acknowledging that a zero-COVID policy has “been very tough”.

The manifesto comes as the December 3 deadline looms for over 150,000 Google employees to upload their vaccination status and tell the company whether they intend to return to the office.

FULL STORY: Hundreds of Google Employees Encourage Co-Workers to Resist Company’s Vaccine Mandate

“It if doubles again in the next three weeks, we’re going to see the most serious problem we’ve had since the spring of 2020,” he said, adding that the infection spike was not a surprise because people are spending more time indoors due to colder weather.

Michigan’s largest city, Detroit has had more than 67,500 confirmed COVID cases and 2,504 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

FULL STORY: Detroit Mayor Warns of ‘Serious Problem’ if COVID Cases Continue Rising in City

Follow Newsweek’s liveblog throughout Wednesday for all the latest U.S. and worldwide COVID news.