Death toll reached 2,157 on Tuesday, while hospitalizations reached a record 88,000 on Wednesday
Americans defied pleas from state and local officials to stay home for the Thanksgiving holiday in the face of the surging coronavirus pandemic, triggering fresh warnings from health officials with the release of vaccines still weeks away at the earliest.
U.S. president-elect Joe Biden joined in the calls for safety, urging people to forgo big family gatherings, wear protective masks and maintain physical distancing.
"I know we can and we will beat this virus," Biden said in a speech delivered in a near-empty Wilmington, Del., theatre to a handful of staffers and reporters wearing masks sitting inside physically distanced circles on the floor. Biden did not wear a mask.