COVID-19 cases spike in U.S. Midwest as deaths reach over 180,000

Activists stand with American flags at sunrise to memorialize victims of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, near the Washington Monument in Washington, U.S., August 27, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

(Reuters) - Several U.S. Midwest states reported record one-day increases in the number of new coronavirus cases on Thursday as nationwide deaths from the virus topped 180,000 and officials braced for the possibility of another surge with school openings.

Meanwhile, the governors of several states said they would not reduce testing as recommended the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a change many health officials say was based on political pressure and not science.