Balanced News: : Coronavirus tally: Daily COVID cases climb above 70,000, daily deaths tick up

The seven-day average of new COVID cases topped the 70,000 mark for the first time since Sept. 7,. according to a New York Times tracker, but the pace of increases has slowed. The daily new case average rose 5% from two weeks ago to 70,479 on Thursday, after rising 8% on Wednesday.