U.S. again sets record for daily COVID-19 deaths; 250K new cases confirmed By (0) Server Becca Schock wipes down a table at a restaurant in University City, Missouri, on Wednesday, as eateries in the state prepared to reopen for indoor dining under COVID-19 rules. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo Jan. 7 (UPI) -- A record number of Americans died of COVID-19 for a second consecutive day on Wednesday as the country posted its second-highest daily total of new cases yet, updated figures showed. Some 3,865 coronavirus patients died, surpassing Tuesday's record death toll by about 100, according to Johns Hopkins University.