Peter Wells in New York
The US had its smallest one-day rise in coronavirus fatalities in three weeks on Monday, as summer hotspot states like California, Florida and Texas reported slower increases in their death tolls.
States attributed a further 260 deaths to the disease, according to Covid Tracking Project data, down from 307 on Sunday and compared with 287 a week ago.
It was the smallest daily jump in deaths since 225 were reported on September 7, the Labor Day public holiday. Typically, Monday figures tend to be lower than other days of the week owing to weekend delays in reporting.
California (21) had its fewest deaths in three weeks, while Texas (11) had its fewest in about three months. Florida (5) had its smallest daily jump in deaths since the end of May.
The only other states reporting more than 20 deaths were Arkansas (21) and North Dakota (21), with the latter being a record increase.
A further 36,741 positive tests were reported by states over the past 24 hours, up from 35,340 on Sunday and compared with 39,472 on Monday last week.