US Sets New Record for Covid Deaths, Infections on Wednesday

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The United States set several new Covid-19 records on Wednesday, including in deaths and new cases of the virus.

The country experienced 247,403 new confirmed cases of the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University. Another 3,656 Americans died as a result of complications stemming from it. As of Thursday, the total number of Americans confirmed as infected by the virus slightly exceeded 17 million, with more than 307,000 fatalities.

Hospitalizations similarly reached a new record on Wednesday, with 113,069 Americans seeking medical help related to the virus.

The record marks the fifth day since Thanksgiving to set new daily records. The surge of the virus comes despite severe lockdown measures in many localities, including in New York City, where indoor dining has been prohibited, and in the state of California, where stay-at-home orders have shuttered establishments including gyms and places of worship.

The economy has been hemorrhaging jobs as a result of those closures. Labor Department data on Thursday found jobless claims rising by 885,000 over the last week. Continuing unemployment benefits fell to 5.5 million for the week ending Dec. 5, slightly less than the pandemic peak of nearly 7 million in March.