A somber new milestone marked the new year in the U.S. as of Friday, the country recorded more than 20 million COVID-19 cases since the coronavirus pandemic began early last year.
The U.S. has about 4% of the worlds population but accounts for about 24% of the total number of coronavirus cases worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University data . It is the country with the highest number of cases by far. India has the second-highest tally, reporting a total of more than 10.2 million cases.
President-elect Joe Biden who will take office on Jan. 20 warned Americans last week to prepare themselves for the darkest days of the pandemic, which he said are still to come.
One thing I promise you about my leadership during this crisis: Im going to tell it to you straight. Im going to tell you the truth. And heres the simple truth: Our darkest days in the battle against COVID are ahead of us, not behind us, Biden said.
The president-elect said Thursday that he intends to host a memorial service at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on the eve of his inauguration to honor the more than 345,000 Americans who have lost their lives to COVID-19.
A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus
- How long does it take for the coronavirus vaccine to work?
- Which masks will actually keep your face warm this winter?
- Can you close your COVID bubble without losing friends forever?
- How will spending the holidays in quarantine affect our mental health ?
- What happens to all those face masks and gloves were tossing in the trash?
- Find all that and more on our coronavirus hub page .