The British government on Wednesday confirmed a second new and potentially more infectious variant of Covid-19 has emerged in the United Kingdom. The World Health Organization said the new variant has so far been identified in Denmark, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Australia. While much is still unknown about the new strain, neighboring European countries have closed their borders to the U.K.
With the U.S. recording at least 2,000 virus-related deaths a day, on a seven-day average, more Americans are planning to stay home or to travel by car this holiday weekend. AAA predicts at least 29% fewer trips will be taken through Jan. 3, compared with the same period a year ago.
The U.S. is recording at least 212,142 new Covid-19 cases and at least 2,669 virus-related deaths each day, based on a seven-day average calculated by CNBC using Johns Hopkins University data.
The following data was compiled by Johns Hopkins University:
- Global cases: More than 78.93 million
- Global deaths: At least 1.73 million
- U.S. cases: More than 18.49 million
- U.S. deaths: At least 326,871