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Samaritan's Purse, a Christian aid group, set up a 68-bed field hospital in New York's Central Park to care for coronavirus patients. (Video: Skyler Reid/The Washington Post)

Daily coronavirus death toll in U.S. exceeds 500 for first time

Monday was the first day that the number of U.S. deaths due to the coronavirus grew by more than 500, according to data compiled by The Washington Post. Almost half of the deaths were reported in New York. The previous national high was 446 on Saturday.

With the coronavirus death toll soaring in the United States and health experts warning that “no state, no metro area will be spared” by the outbreak, President Trump steeled the nation for an extended shutdown.  

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Coronavirus: What you need to know

Covid isolation guidelines: Americans who test positive for the coronavirus no longer need to routinely stay home from work and school for five days under new guidance planned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The change has raised concerns among medically vulnerable people.

New coronavirus variant: The United States is in the throes of another covid-19 uptick and coronavirus samples detected in wastewater suggests infections could be as rampant as they were last winter. JN.1, the new dominant variant, appears to be especially adept at infecting those who have been vaccinated or previously infected. Here’s how this covid surge compares with earlier spikes.

Latest coronavirus booster: The CDC recommends that anyone 6 months or older gets an updated coronavirus shot, but the vaccine rollout has seen some hiccups, especially for children. Here’s what you need to know about the latest coronavirus vaccines, including when you should get it.