Daily U.S. deaths from Covid-19 surpassed 3,000 for the third time in a week as the country expanded its vaccination program and Congress progressed toward approving financial relief for pandemic-stricken America.

The United States hit a record 16 million Covid-19 cases on Dec. 12, with deaths closing in on the 300,000 mark, as millions of doses of a new vaccine were expected to start rolling out across the nation on Dec. 13.

Pfizer, COVID vaccine

The United States authorized the use of Pfizer Inc’s Covid-19 vaccine on Dec. 11, with the first inoculations expected within days, marking a turning point in a country where the pandemic has killed more than 295,000 people.

The United States’ daily death toll from Covid-19 surpassed 3,000 for the first time, prompting pleas for Americans to scale back Christmas plans even with vaccines on the cusp of winning regulatory approval.

President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order that ensures the U.S. government prioritizes delivery of Covid-19 vaccines to American citizens before sending them to other nations.

California compelled much of the state to close shop and stay at home on Dec. 7, when some of the harshest coronavirus restrictions in the United States came into effect one day after the state set a record with more than 30,000 new Covid-19 cases.

California shattered records for coronavirus cases on Dec. 6 as U.S. states scrambled to impose lockdowns to stem spikes in infections and the White House’s task force coordinator decried a lack of national leadership on curbing the disease.

The mayor of San Francisco ordered new lockdowns and business restrictions across the Bay Area in the face of the Covid-19 surge, as political leaders nationwide ramp up pressure on Americans to stay home until vaccines can be distributed.

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a bid by President Donald Trump’s administration to revive pilot programs adopted by the states of Arkansas and New Hampshire that allow work requirements to be imposed on people who receive healthcare under the Medicaid program for the poor.

U.S. leaders urgently called on Americans to wear masks and threatened even more drastic stay-at-home orders after deaths from the coronavirus set a single-day record, with two people dying every minute.