Peter Wells in New York
The US reported its smallest increase in coronavirus deaths in two weeks on Monday, but hospitalisations topped 35,000 for the first time in nearly six weeks.
States attributed a further 284 deaths to coronavirus, according to Covid Tracking Project, down from 464 on Sunday and compared with 326 on Monday last week. It was the smallest increase in fatalities since the 257 reported on September 28.
Florida (47), Pennsylvania (18) and Arkansas (17) reported the largest increases in deaths.
Texas — the second most populous state in the US, which regularly ranks among those with the biggest increases in fatalities — was notable for reporting just one fatality, its smallest daily rise since early June.
Monday figures tend to be lower than other days of the week, however, due to weekend delays in reporting.
A further 43,043 people tested positive for coronavirus over the past 24 hours, down from 46,776 on Sunday and compared with 38,133 on Monday last week.
California (3,449), Tennessee (2,965) and Illinois (2,742) reported the largest one-day increases in infections. Kansas (2,055) and Michigan (1,932) were the two states that had record increases, although they reported data for the first time in three and two days, respectively.
The number of patients currently in US hospitals with coronavirus rose to 35,056 from 34,028 on Sunday. It was the highest number of hospitalised patients since the 35,569 reported on September 2.