The US recorded about 6.3 million new COVID-19 cases (about 205,000 a day) in December, up from 4.3 million (or 144,000 a day) in November.
There were 74,864 coronavirus- related deaths recorded in December, up from 36,222 in November. There were nearly 340,000 known COVID-19 deaths for all of 2020.
While North Dakota and South Dakota had the highest case rates during fall, case rates spiked elsewhere in December. Rhode Island and Tennessee had the highest case rates for the month, both with more than 3,100 new cases per 100,000 residents.
