The United States surpassed 11 million coronavirus cases on Sunday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, as the country is in the grips of a third wave of the pandemic.
The US has seen far more confirmed cases and deaths than any other nation, with over 246,000 virus-related fatalities in a population of about 330 million.
The grim milestone comes just six days after US infections eclipsed the 10-million mark.
Daily caseloads have shattered records in recent days, testing the limits of health care systems nationwide.
Trump attended task force "months ago"
Anthony Fauci, the US government's top infectious disease expert, on Sunday said President Donald Trump last attended a coronavirus task force meeting "months ago," even as US coronavirus cases soared past 11 million.
In an interview with CNN, Fauci noted that Vice President Mike Pence runs the task force and "translates" to Trump what is discussed.
Trump has not publicly acknowledged the spiraling outbreak, instead focusing on railing against the outcome of the November 3 presidential election on Twitter.
Biden's team
Trump has refused to concede victory to President-elect Joe Biden and the White House has so far blocked the transition process.
Fauci said federal officials should be able to begin communicating with Biden's team to ensure a smooth transition in the fight against the outbreak.
"Of course it would be better if we could start working with them," Fauci said when asked whether cooperating with Biden's team would serve the public interest. He likened the process to "passing a baton in a race."
