Coronavirus updates: Herd immunity by fall 'ambitious,' says surgeon general nominee

There were 178,255 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the United States on Wednesday, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The latest daily case count is far less than the country's all-time high of 298,031 newly confirmed infections on Jan. 2, Johns Hopkins data shows.

An additional 4,231 fatalities from COVID-19 were registered nationwide on Wednesday, just under the peak of 4,462 new deaths on Jan. 12, according to Johns Hopkins data.

COVID-19 data may be skewed due to possible lags in reporting over the holiday weekend and earlier holidays.

A total of 24,438,720 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 406,147 have died, according to Johns Hopkins data. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.

Much of the country was under lockdown by the end of March as the first wave of pandemic hit. By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country's cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up over the summer.

The numbers lingered around 40,000 to 50,000 from mid-August through early October before surging again to record levels, crossing 100,000 for the first time on Nov. 4, then reaching 200,000 on Nov. 27 before nearing 300,000 on Jan. 2.

Rochelle Walensky, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who began her role after U.S. President Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday, released a statement saying she is extending the eviction ban due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"As a protective public health measure, I will extend the current order temporarily halting residential evictions until at least March 31, 2021," she said in the statement. "The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a historic threat to our nation’s health. It has also triggered a housing affordability crisis that disproportionately affects some communities."

She said that as cases continue to rise, it's important to "keep people in their homes and out of congregate settings — like shelters — where COVID-19 can take an even stronger foothold."

An additional 450 deaths from COVID-19 were reported in Texas on Wednesday, marking a new record for the Lone Star State, according to data from the Texas Department of Health.

There were also 25,512 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 5,017 probable cases reported Wednesday.

The cumulative totals now stand at more than 2.1 million confirmed and probable cases, including at least 32,844 deaths, according to the state health department data.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the new director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, called for optimism and adherence to science in her first message to the American people on Wednesday.

"Better, healthier days lie ahead. But to get there, COVID-19 testing, surveillance, and vaccination must accelerate rapidly," Walensky said in a statement. "We must also confront the longstanding public health challenges of social and racial injustice and inequity that have demanded action for far too long."

Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC's principal deputy director, will be conducting a comprehensive review of the agency's existing COVID-19 guidance and will update those recommendations based on the best available scientific evidence, so that Americans can make informed decisions about their lives, Walensky added.

ABC News' Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.