U.S. counts 13M COVID-19 cases, its fourth million-milestone of November
More than 3.8 million people have contracted the disease since the start of the month.
Nov. 27, 2020, 11:18 PM UTC / Source: NBC News
By Joe Murphy
The U.S. reached 13 million diagnosed cases of COVID-19 on Friday, another milestone in a month riddled with them.
It was the fourth such marker the country has counted in November, which has seen 3.8 million cases of the coronavirus. The U.S. is on pace to tally more than 4 million cases this month alone, more than doubling the previous record of 1.9 million cases set in October.
More than 264,000 people in the U.S. have died of the disease according to NBC News' count.
The U.S. crossed the 12 million-case threshold less than a week ago, on Nov. 21.
The most-recent million was driven by surging case counts in Texas and Illinois, each which saw more than or close to 80,000 new cases in the previous six days. More than half the states counted 10,000-plus cases in that time.
Thanksgiving Day saw Arkansas and Nebraska setting single-day case count records, part of a surge that has touched most of the country. Outbreaks have been reported everywhere from weddings to nursing homes, and while the news of vaccines brings hope, experts say it's the first step in a long process.
The CDC had recommended Americans avoid traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday, but U.S. air travel hit a new pandemic peak Wednesday, following a peak over the preceding weekend.
After urging residents to stay home, Denver's mayor Michael Hancock traveled for the holiday.
Certain states have issued new travel mandates or recommendations in an effort to curb the spread
This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.
Joe Murphy is a data editor at NBC News Digital.