Fauci warns things will get worse.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the United States, predicted on Thursday that the daily death toll from the coronavirus would continue to rise for weeks to come, and counseled patience with the vaccination program gearing up across the nation.

Health officials in the United States reported nearly 4,000 virus-related deaths on Wednesday, a record, and the total for the pandemic surpassed 360,000. In an interview with NPR, Fauci said the continued high toll would probably be a reflection of increased travel and gatherings over the holidays.

“We believe things will get worse as we get into January,” he said.

He stressed that it was still possible to “blunt that acceleration” by strictly adhering to public health measures like social distancing and mask-wearing. “Now’s not the time to pull back on this,” he warned.

The virus has exacted a punishing toll across the United States. In recent days, Wyoming and Arizona been among states that have recorded high per capita rates of virus deaths, according to a New York Times database. On Thursday, Florida reported more than 19,800 cases, the state’s highest single- day total. Fauci advised Americans to be patient with the snags and delays that have slowed the vaccination effort.

Dr. Francis S. Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health, said Wednesday he was “not totally surprised” that vaccine distribution had gotten off to a “rocky” start.

“We had this remarkable plan that Warp Speed had put in place to have doses ready to go the very next day after the FDA approval, but that’s a lot of logistics,” he told The Washington Post, referring to Operation Warp Speed, the administration’s vaccine development program. “So maybe we shouldn’t be too shocked that it didn’t go like clockwork.”