S.

Infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci, who on Thursday admitted that he had increased his earlier estimates.

Vouches revised figure came in a New York Times interview on Thursday, his 80th birthday.

Meanwhile, the country continues to mark grim new milestones, with more than 3000 coronavirus deaths reported for the second consecutive day, according to Reuters data.

The nationwide death toll was over 326,000 by midnight on Wednesday, the same day that saw more Americans fly than on any other day since the pandemic emerged in March.

Over 1.1 million passengers passed through airport checkpoints two days before Christmas, according to the US Transportation Security Administration.

Wednesday's airport traffic exceeded the prior high set during the pandemic on November 29th, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, meaning many Americans disregarded the advice of public health experts who warned against holiday gatherings.

Top health officials believe that those who traveled and gathered indoors for Thanksgiving contributed to the latest explosion in cases.