More than 6.6 million Americans filed new claims for unemployments benefits last week as the coronavirus outbreak continued to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy.
The Labor Department announced the staggering figure Thursday, which brings the two-week total to nearly 10 million initial claims.
But the actual number of people who are out of work could be a lot higher. Many state employment websites are experiencing high traffic, and some applicants are having problems filing a claim.
And things likely won't slow down for a while as social distancing requirements force businesses to keep their doors shut and lay off employees.
Earlier in the week, President Donald Trump extended social distancing guidelines to April 30 to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. He said he believes the virus will hit QUOTE "the bottom of the hill" by June.
Contains footage from CNN.
