Devastating day as US shatters coronavirus records | First Thing

The US passed 17m cases and recorded more than 3,600 deaths yesterday alone, but a second vaccine is on the horizon. Plus, hack may have targeted government agency responsible for nuclear weapons

Good morning.

It was another devastating day for the coronavirus pandemic in the US yesterday, with the total number of coronavirus cases passing 17m, the highest in the world by far. The US recorded almost a quarter of a million new coronavirus infections and more than 3,600 deaths yesterday alone. Thursday's unemployment report also found that new jobless claims reached 885,000 last week, the highest weekly figure since September. In Los Angeles, two people are dying of Covid-19 every hour, as the hospitals system creaks under the weight of the pandemic.