US records nearly 250,000 new COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours

Washington [US], December 19 (ANI): Amid a worsening COVID-19 situation, the United States on Friday broke yet another record by registering 249,709 new coronavirus cases, the highest recorded single-day spike since the pandemic began, according to the latest update by Johns Hopkins University.
CNN reported that a total of 2,814 people have succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours.
The states of California, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Texas have announced more than 1,000 deaths in the past week. Over 397,000 cases among students and employees at more than 1,800 institutions have been reported over the course of the pandemic, reported New York Times.
This comes as the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) on Friday (local time) authorised Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use for people aged 18 years and above.
"The Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine is now authorized for distribution and use under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Delivery to the US Government will begin immediately. Moderna will continue to gather additional data and plans to file a Biologics License Application (BLA) with the FDA requesting full licensure in 2021," the company said in a statement.
Earlier this month, the FDA also approved Pfizer-BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use and healthcare workers have started giving shots of the vaccine.
According to the latest update by Johns Hopkins University, the US has registered a total of 17,465,147 coronavirus cases along with 313,660 deaths. (ANI)