US COVID-19 caseload tops 98.56mn, death toll approaching 1.08mn

The country's case count numbered 98,564,494

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has registered over 98.56 million confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide, with the death toll approaching 1.08 million as of Saturday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Specifically, the country’s case count numbered 98,564,494, with related deaths reaching 1,079,197 as of 23:21 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) Saturday.

Health experts have warned of a large uptick in COVID-19 cases in the country following the Thanksgiving holiday, a time when people gather in big social groups.

It was after the same period last year that the U.S. saw its biggest wave of confirmed cases. Hospitals are already preparing themselves for a surge in the number of hospital admissions.

It is a dangerous way of thinking among many Americans across the country that COVID-19 is a thing of the past, they said.

In fact, the pandemic is far from over as 300 to 400 Americans are dying from the virus every day, according to White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha.

The country is now seeing lower levels of COVID-19 compared to last winter. The week ending Nov 16 averaged a weekly number of around 40,000 cases, a small drop from the previous seven-day period.

However, there has been a lot less people getting tested compared to the same time last year, so the weekly average could actually be a lot higher.