US sets new record of 225,000 COVID-19 cases in one day

For the second day in a row, the US on Friday notched a record number of coronavirus cases in 24 hours, reaching 225,201 new infections, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University cited in an AFP report.

In that same period, the country recorded 2,506 COVID-related deaths, according to real-time data provided by the Baltimore-based university at 8:30 p.m. (0130 GMT Saturday).

The US — the country with the most coronavirus cases and deaths in the world — has seen a dramatic resurgence in its epidemic in recent weeks.

It had surpassed 200,000 new daily cases three times in the past month, peaking at more than 210,000 between Wednesday and Thursday.

US health officials warned of a surge after millions of Americans traveled to celebrate last week’s Thanksgiving holiday despite pleas from authorities to stay home.

For two weeks, the US has regularly topped 2,000 deaths per day, as it had in the spring at the height of the first wave of the country’s outbreak.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is also steadily increasing, especially in the most populous states of California, Florida, New York and Texas, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

The US has recorded more than 14.3 million COVID cases and 278,000 related deaths since the start of the pandemic.