The United States recorded more than 205,000 cases of COVID-19 on Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The grim milestone is the country’s highest-ever daily case jump, and the U.S. recorded 1,404 deaths on the same day. The U.S. continues to have the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, and public health experts warn that the winter poses a grave danger as more people move from outdoor to indoor gatherings. Multiple governors, especially in the Midwest where cases are surging hardest and hospitals have grown full, have blamed small social gatherings as the most prominent vector of the spread. The virus has thus far infected and killed more than 13 million Americans and killed upwards of 265,000. Despite the worsening national prognosis, President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the country is “rounding the corner” on the pandemic. Pfizer announced in November that it had developed a vaccine that was 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19, but public health experts have said it will likely not be widely available until mid-2021.