Peter Wells
The US on Tuesday reported a single-day increase in deaths on par with levels previously experienced in May, while hospitalisations again climbed to a new peak.
States attributed a further 1,565 deaths to coronavirus, according to Covid Tracking Project data, up from 581 on Monday, and compared with 1,347 on Tuesday last week.
The latest increase was on par with 1,565 fatalities on Wednesday last week, which in turn was the biggest one-day increase in Covid-19 deaths since mid-May.
Better treatment, preparation and more knowledge about coronavirus has meant daily deaths rates have generally been lower than the early stage of the pandemic, which hit northeastern states like New York and New Jersey hard. However, fatalities have crept higher through the course of autumn, lagging the record levels of new daily cases and hospitalisations.
The US has averaged 1,129 coronavirus deaths a day over the past week. During the summer surge that primarily affected states in the south and west of the country, there are only two days with a higher seven-day average that the US has at present.
A cyclist wearing a mask rides along a street in Chicago
Should the seven-day average death rate exceed 1,142, the metric will be at its highest since late May.
Texas (117) and Illinois (113) reported the largest one-day jumps in deaths on Tuesday. Wisconsin (103), Iowa (36) and Kentucky (33) all had record increases, according to Financial Times analysis of Covid Tracking Project data.
States reported 155,201 coronavirus cases on Tuesday, up from 148,532 on Monday and compared with nearly 131,000 on Tuesday last week. Over the past week, the US has averaged 154,365 cases a day.
Illinois (12,601), Texas (11,624 including new and historic cases) and California (8,743) had the biggest one-day jumps in infections. Pennsylvania (5,900), Nebraska (3,440), Wyoming (1,260) and Maine (246) all reported single-day records.
Hospitalisations hit a new peak, with 76,830 people currently being treated for coronavirus in US hospitals.