With near 3,900 deaths, record US COVID-19 toll comes on day of Capitol attack

WASHINGTON: The US registered its highest deaths yet from the coronavirus on the very day the mob attack on the Capitol laid bare some of the same, deep political divisions that have hampered the battle against the pandemic.

The virus is surging in virtually every state.

California is particularly hard hit, with skyrocketing deaths and infections threatening to force hospitals to ration care.

The same day that supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, the nation recorded nearly 3,900 deaths.

Trump and his followers have resisted efforts to social distance or wear masks to slow the spread.

California hospitals struggling with a skyrocketing coronavirus surge are trying to prepare for the possibility that they may have to ration care for lack of staff and beds.

The state avoided surging cases for months, but now the virus is raging out of control there in the wake of Thanksgiving holiday gatherings.

Only Arizona tops California in cases per resident - a fact that is drawing renewed scrutiny to Arizona Gov.

Doug Ducey, a Republican who has resisted instituting restrictive measures.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell slightly last week to 787,000, a historically high number that points to a weak job market held back by the pandemic.

Thursday's figure from the Labor Department shows that even with the pandemic recession in its 10th month, many businesses are still laying off workers.

Before the recession, weekly jobless claims typically numbered around 225,000.

According to data through Jan 6 from Johns Hopkins University, the seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths in the US rose over the past two weeks from 2,668.7 on Dec 23 to 2,686.4 on Jan 6.

The number of COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S. stands at 361,453.