Dhaka, Dec. 2 -- Nearly 37,000 Americans died of coronavirus (Covid-19) in November, the most in any month since the dark early days of the pandemic, engulfing families in grief, filling newspaper obituary pages and testing the capacity of morgues, funeral homes, and hospitals.

Amid the resurgence, states have begun reopening field hospitals to handle an influx of patients that is pushing health care systems - and their workers - to the breaking point. Hospitals are bringing in mobile morgues. And funerals are being live-streamed or performed as drive-by affairs.

Health officials fear the crisis will be even worse in coming weeks after many Americans ignored pleas to stay home over Thanksgiving and avoid people who don't live with them,...