WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (CNN) - As millions of Americans head home after Thanksgiving, the coronavirus could be hitching a ride -- threatening to plant seeds of infection across the country as the US on Sunday topped more than 100,000 new cases for the 27th consecutive day.

So far Sunday, the United States has reported 109,671 new cases and 731 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
A surge of new travel-related infections could overwhelm hospitals already stretched to capacity. Hospitalizations of Covid-19 patients reached a record high of 93,238 on Sunday, trumping Saturday's record-breaking 91,635 figure, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

It is the third time there have been over 90,000 Americans hospitalized with Covid-19 -- the first being Thursday with 90,481 before a drop to 89,834 Friday that could be attributed to inconsistencies in reporting over Thanksgiving.

for what we're currently facing," emergency medicine physician Dr. Megan Ranney said.

"This is like a natural disaster occurring in all 50 states at the same time. There are not adequate beds. There are not adequate staff. And because of the lack of national preparation, there are still not adequate supplies," said Ranney, a CNN medical analyst and director of the Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health at Brown University.

"Here in Rhode Island, we are currently planning to open our field hospital on Tuesday because our hospitals are so full of sick Covid-19 patients. But not every state has that option," she said.

"And even if you open a field hospital, if you have hundreds of staff who are sick -- which is what many states across the country are currently facing -- if you don't have nurses and doctors and respiratory techs, even a field hospital isn't going to save you. Our health care system is literally at the breaking point right now, thanks to Covid-19."