Washington, Dec 24 (IANS): The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has urged the public to avoid travel and stay at home during the Christmas holidays in an effort to curb the further spread of the novel coronavirus.

"Travel may increase your chance of spreading and getting Covid-19. CDC continues to recommend postponing travel and staying home, as this is the best way to protect yourself and others this year," Xinhua news agency quoted the CDC as saying in its latest advisory on Wednesday.

The safest way to celebrate winter holidays is staying at home with the people who live with you, it added.

"Host a virtual holiday meal with friends and family, gather for a virtual gift exchange, decorate your home, or make festive crafts," said the CDC.

The recommendation came as the country has continued to witness and unabated increase in the number of fresh coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalisations.

In its latest update on Thursday morning, the Johns Hopkins University revealed that the country's overall caseload and death toll stood at 18,455,656 and 326,088, respectively.

The two tallies account for the world's highest, making the US the hardest-hit by the pandemic.

Over 1,511,000 cases have been reported in the US over the past seven days, according to the CDC.

The seven-day average of new daily cases now stood at nearly 216,000 cases, and the seven-day average of deaths topped over 2,600, according to the CDC.

There are a record 117,777 people currently hospitalised with Covid-19 in the US, according to latest data of the COVID Tracking Project.

The country has started its Covid-19 vaccine campaign after the Food and Drug Administration approved two vaccines for emergency use.