WASHINGTON — Facing a record surge of Americans applying for health coverage on HealthCare.gov, the Obama administration moved late Tuesday to extend the deadline by 48 hours for enrolling in coverage for 2016.

Consumers in the 38 states that rely on the HealthCare.gov marketplace will now have until 2:59 a.m. Friday to sign up.

“Hundreds of thousands have already selected plans over the last two days and approximately 1 million consumers have left their contact information to hold their place in line,” said Kevin Counihan, who oversees the marketplace at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“Our goal is to provide access to affordable coverage, and the additional 48 hours will give consumers an opportunity to come back and complete their enrollment for Jan. 1 coverage.”