US reports one of the highest daily Covid death tolls in 2021

The United States on Wednesday recorded one of the highest daily death tolls in the country this year due to Covid-19.
With 2,678 additional casualties reporting, the total number of the pandemic victims in the country reached 666,618, as per the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.
A total of 17,135 new cases of coronavirus infections on the same day took the national total to 41,536,687.
The weekly average of coronavirus deaths has increased to 1,943, marking 37-per-cent rise in a fortnight, according to data compiled by New York Times.
Texas reported the most number of cases - 22,741 - and most Covid-related deaths - 417.
The number of people hospitalized due to coronavirus infection in the country has come down to 98,449, while 32,271,084 people have so far recovered from the disease.
As per the latest data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 179,695,287 people, or 54.1 per cent of the total population, have been fully vaccinated in the United States. This includes 82.6 per cent of people above 65.
A total of 210,361,099 people, or 63.4 per cent of the population, have received at least one dose. A total of 382,294,795 vaccine doses have been administered so far nationally.
Meanwhile, in a meeting with US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo emphasized the importance of employers requiring proof of vaccination for employees.
She urged the industry to think creatively about how to incentivize customers to get vaccinated in order to further accelerate the sector's recovery.
The Secretary charged TTAB with developing additional recommendations to inform a new National Travel and Tourism Strategy, including new visitors arriving to the US and industry spending goals.