The number of COVID-19 deaths reported in the US nearly every day last week was higher than the death toll for the attack on Pearl Harbor

• More people died from COVID-19 in the US almost every day last week than died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the 79th anniversary of which is this Monday.
• Naval History and Heritage Command reports that 2,403 US civilian and military personnel died on Dec. 7, 1941 in the surprise attack on the Pacific Fleet anchored in at the base in Hawaii.
• The daily COVID-19 death tolls from Tuesday to Saturday of last week ranged from a low of 2,445 to a high of 2,733, according to The Atlantic's "The COVID Tracking Project."

COVID-19 claimed more lives in the US almost every day last week than died in the attack on Pearl Harbor, according to virus tracking data.

Early on Dec. 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise aerial attack on the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii from aircraft carriers at sea.

The attack, which was carried out by more than 300 Japanese planes launched from six carriers, destroyed or damaged 19 ships, among which were eight battleships, eliminated 188 US aircraft, and killed 2,403 US military and civilian personnel, according to Naval History and Heritage Command.

As the attack pulled the US into World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt declared the day of the attack a "date which will live in infamy." This Monday marks the 79th anniversary of that tragic day.

Today, the US faces a new crisis, a pandemic that has already claimed more than 273,000 lives in the US. Last week alone saw well over 10,000 new COVID-19 deaths.

The Atlantic's "The COVID Tracking Project" recorded 2,473 new COVID-19 deaths last Tuesday, 2,733 Wednesday, 2,706 Thursday, 2,563 Friday, and 2,445 Saturday.

Only Monday and Sunday saw lower death tolls, at 1,136 and 1,138 respectively.

The US saw its first COVID-19 death in February, weeks after reports from China indicated that a new virus was spreading in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

As the total number of cases in the US has soared this year, climbing to nearly 15 million, President Donald Trump and his administration have taken substantial criticism for their handling of the situation.

The president personally contracted the virus in October after repeatedly ignoring recommendations from public health authorities. He recovered after a brief stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he received experimental treatments.

The US is moving forward on several vaccines that appear promising, but Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials argue that the next couple of months are likely to be "difficult."

Dr. Robert Redfield, the CDC director, said last week that this winter is expected to put a strain on the American healthcare system.

"We are at a very critical time right now about being able to maintain the resilience of our healthcare system," he said, adding that "the reality is December and January and February are going to be rough times. I actually believe they're going to be the most difficult in the public health history of this nation, largely because of the stress that's going to be put on our healthcare system."

"We're in that range potentially now, starting to see 1,500 to 2,000 to 2,500 deaths a day from this virus," he continued, adding that the US could see "close to 450,000 Americans" dead from the virus by February.