US reports single-day record of more than 3,900 deaths from COVID-19

• States across the US reported more than 3,900 deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, the largest single-day total since the pandemic began.
• States also reported a record 125,000 hospitalizations due to the coronavirus.
• The figures may not reflect the full extent of the crisis due to holiday reporting delays.

This week saw the deadliest day in the United States since the coronavirus pandemic began, with a record-breaking number of hospitalizations foreshadowing potentially darker days still to come.

States across the US reported more than 3,900 deaths on Wednesday and over 125,000 hospitalizations, according to data from The Covid Tracking Project. The figures may not reflect the actual tallies due to delays in reporting over the holidays, the group said.

—The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) December 31, 2020

At least 341,505 Americans have now died from the virus, per Johns Hopkins University, the highest total for any country in the world.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the death toll could be as high as 424,000 by January 23, based on a review of modeling forecasts.

States are also finding evidence that a potentially more contagious variant of the coronavirus first detected in the UK, B117, is now spreading among their populations.

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