Record daily death toll in US as coronavirus cases surge

A member of the National Guard assisting at a Covid-19 mobile testing location in Auburn. Maine (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)

The US recorded over 3,100 Covid-19 deaths in a single day, obliterating the record set last spring, while the number of Americans in hospital with the virus has eclipsed 100,000 for the first time and new cases are topping 200,000 a day, according to figures released on Thursday.

The three benchmarks altogether showed a country slipping deeper into crisis, with perhaps the worst yet to come, in part because of the delayed effects from Thanksgiving, when millions of Americans disregarded warnings to stay home and celebrate only with members of their household.