Records shattered as daily US coronavirus deaths exceed 3,000
- Coronavirus infecting Americans at frightening rate in the final weeks of 2020
- Health officials forecast the US will surpass 300,000 deaths by Christmas
The latest numbers of newly reported coronavirus deaths and hospitalisations shattered records in the United States.
There were 3,071 additional deaths reported on Wednesday, the highest single-day total to date and nearly 300 deaths higher than the previous record set in May, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.
The highest-ever number of people – 106,688 – are hospitalised with Covid-19, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project, the latest in a weeks-long streak of record-setting daily figures.
According to Johns Hopkins University data, the country logged a record 215,860 new infections a day earlier. New cases per day have rocketed to more than 200,000 on average.
California, where some 33 million people were back under lockdown this week, saw more than 30,000 cases on Wednesday – the highest 24-hour tally in a US state.