Some 800,000 Americans applied for jobless aid the week before Christmas

The number of people applying for jobless aid fell slightly last week but remained at a high level, showing the coronavirus continues to take a toll on the economy.

Some 803,000 people applied for unemployment benefits in the week ending December 19, the Labor Department said Wednesday. That's a drop of 89,000 from the week before.

Another 397,000 applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a federal program for the self-employed and gig workers.