The official U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has passed a quarter of a million people as the virus rages out of control from coast to coast, with 172,000 infections and nearly 2,000 deaths reported on Wednesday alone. U.S. hospitalizations continue to shatter records — now at over 73,000 COVID-19 patients — and the average daily death toll is rising in 33 states. Columbia University epidemiologists estimate more than 3 million people across the U.S. are currently contagious with the coronavirus — nearly 1% of the population.

On Tuesday, Chicago’s public health commissioner, Dr. Allison Arwady, urged city residents to put off Thanksgiving holiday plans, warning as many as 180,000 residents are currently infectious.

Dr. Allison Arwady: “As many as one in 15 Chicagoans has active COVID-19 right now. And that is why the risk of gathering is significant.”

Here in New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio has canceled in-person classes for the city’s public school system — even as bars, restaurants and gyms remain open for limited service.