The United States has registered more than 3,000 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally -- the highest daily toll since April.
American authorities warned a spike in deaths was coming after millions travelled around the country for the Thanksgiving holiday last month, ignoring pleas to stay home to slow the spread of the virus.
As of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Thursday), the country had recorded a total of 289,188 Covid deaths, up by 3,071 in 24 hours. It also registered nearly 220,481 new cases.
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, according to the Covid Tracking Project.