In comparison, the entire month of November saw about 36,964 deaths.
The grim death toll comes on the heels of several brutal months for the US, with COVID-19 ravaging communities from coast to coast, crippling hospital systems and prompting new widespread restrictions.
The authorisation of two COVID-19 vaccines earlier in December offered some hope of a light at the end of the tunnel.
But experts continue to warn that while the end is in sight, the pandemic is not over and another surge stemming from the Christmas holiday could be on its way. We very well might see a post-seasonal - in the sense of Christmas, New Years - surge, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on CNN s
US scientists expect to know in the next few days if coronavirus vaccines might not work against a mutated variant of the virus that s rapidly spreading in parts of England.
While there s always a worry that a vaccine won t work if a virus mutates significantly, the Walter Reed scientists still expect the vaccine will be effective against this new variant, said Dr Nelson Michael, director of the Centre for Infectious Diseases Research at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. It stands to reason that this mutation isn t a threat, but you never know. We still have to be diligent and continue to look, Dr Michael said.