The Transportation Security Administration screened 1,284,599 people at airport checkpoints around the U.S. on Sunday, according to agency data.

Why it matters: It's the highest number of travelers the TSA has recorded since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March.

• It's also the sixth day in the last 10 that more than a million people have flown, suggesting huge numbers of people are traveling for the holidays despite the CDC urging Americans to stay home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
• The TSA screened 2,575,985 people at checkpoints on the same weekday last year, per agency data.

The big picture: The number of COVID-19 infections confirmed in the U.S. surpassed 19 million on Sunday, per Johns Hopkins. The U.S. death toll stands at over 333,000 — meaning that roughly one in every 1,000 people in the U.S. has died from the virus.

Go deeper ... Fauci: 10 people may be too many for holiday gatherings