Washington, Nov 22 In yet another grim milestone, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US has topped the 12 million mark, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
In its latest update on Sunday, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the country's current caseload and death toll stood at 12,079,296 and 255,804, respectively.
Texas reported the country's most cases, standing at 1,117,583, followed by California with 1,098,061 and Florida with 923,418, reports Xinhua news agency.
Illinois registered 646,286 cases and New York confirmed 584,850 cases.
Other states with over 300,000 cases include Georgia, Wisconsin, Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the CSSE data showed.
By far, the US remains the nation worst hit by the pandemic, with the world's most cases and deaths, making up more than 20 per cent of the global caseload.
US Covid-19 cases hit 10 million on November 9, and increased by 1 million within a week.
Starting from November 3, the number of daily cases have been surging above the threshold of 100,000, which has never been seen in past months.
On Friday, a total of 195,542 new cases were identified across the country, marking the highest daily rise in new cases since the pandemic began, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
In a scientific brief updated on Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted masks are intended to reduce the emission of virus-laden droplets, especially for asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic infected persons, who are estimated to account for more than 50 per cent of the transmissions.
As Thanksgiving approaches, the CDC released guidance on holiday celebrations.
Given the high risks of exposure to the coronavirus through travel and gathering, the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people one lives with, according to the guidance.
Gatherings with family members and friends who live in other locations can increase the chances of getting or spreading Covid-19 or the flu, the agency warned.
Some experts recommended alternative holiday plans, including outdoor gathering, virtual dinner party, online shopping and watching parades, sports events from home.
( With inputs from IANS )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor