The United States could be facing the most difficult time in its public health history. The number of people in hospital has passed 100,000 for the first time, a figure that has doubled since early November.
Wednesday's (December 2) death toll of 3,157 is more than 20 per cent higher than that recorded on April 5.
Hospitalizations and cases across the country continue to surge in the wake of Thanksgiving and the situation may explode during Christmas and New Year.
President-elect Joe Biden has even warned that as many as 250,000 more people will die by January when he assumes office and has urged Americans not to travel at Christmas.
The surge prompted Los Angeles Mayor to issue new lockdown orders as he warned that the city could run out of hospital beds by Christmas if the current surge in cases continues.
The virus has now reached every corner of the country - with 90 percent of all hospitals in areas designated as coronavirus 'hot zones' - and continues to spread on a much steeper trajectory than any previous wave of the pandemic, reports Daily Mail.
In a letter on Wednesday, the American Ambulance Association said the 911 emergency call system was at a 'breaking point'.
The United States remains the worst-hit nation both in terms of the number of cases (over 13.9 million) and fatalities (more than 273,000).
