The Virus Is Devastating the U.S., and Leaving an Uneven Toll

FILE — Pedestrians dressed for chilly, early winter temperatures in Chicago, Oct. 20, 2020. On Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020, a national single-day record was set, with more than 217,000 new coronavirus cases — just one of many recent data points that illustrate the depth and spread of a virus that has killed more than 276,000 people in the U.S. (Lyndon French/The New York Times)