Virus cases continue climbing in US during holiday season

Coronavirus infections across the U.S. continue to rise as the country moves deeper into a holiday season when eagerly anticipated gatherings of family and friends could push the numbers even higher.

A new daily high of nearly 228,000 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases was reported nationwide Friday, eclipsing the previous high mark of 217,000 cases set the day before, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 attributable deaths in the U.S. passed 2,000 for the first time since spring, rising to 2,011. Two weeks ago, the seven-day average was 1,448. There were 2,607 deaths reported in the U.S. on Friday.

Several states saw surging numbers in the week after Thanksgiving, when millions of Americans disregarded warnings to stay home and celebrate only with members of their household.

In Arizona, health officials' public messaging took on a blunt tone Saturday as the state reported the second-highest daily increase since the pandemic’s start and the outbreak’s fall surge continued to elevate occupancy rates of increasingly stressed hospitals closer to capacity.

The Arizona Department of Health Services said in a tweet that people should wear masks “around anyone who isn’t a member of your household, even those you know and trust.”

The state's 6,799 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported Saturday trailed only the 10,322 new cases reported Tuesday, which officials have said included data delayed by the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The week saw a total of four daily reports of over 5,000 additional confirmed cases.

North Carolina reported a record increase in confirmed coronavirus cases Saturday, with 6,018 new cases.

“In less than a week, we went from exceeding 5,000 new cases reported in one day to...