Peter Wells
Several of the most populous states in the US reported daily death tallies that were close to records or among the highest in months.
The latest figures came as California, the most populous US state, earlier today revealed a record daily death count and after the US as a whole on Wednesday reported more than 3,000 coronavirus fatalities in a single day for the first time.
Texas reported a further 244 deaths. That was down from the 273 fatalities on Wednesday that marked the biggest one-day tally since mid-August.
The state, which ranks second in the US by population — as well as coronavirus cases and deaths — also reported 12,211 new Covid-19 infections, which is slightly above its seven-day average according to health department data. Authorities also revealed an additional 335 older cases that were not added to the daily toll.
Florida attributed a further 135 fatalities to coronavirus, up from 89 on Wednesday. It was the biggest daily tally in deaths since the 144 reported on October 15, and excluding October 22 when 162 deaths were reported over a two-day period.
A Salvation Army band member wears a mask on a donation drive in Los Angeles
The third-most-populous state also reported a further 11,335 coronavirus cases, the biggest one-day increase since late July, factoring out times when multiple days’ worth of data were delivered in one hit.
New York, the fourth-most-populous state reported a further 92 deaths. That was down from 92 on Wednesday, which was the most in a single day since late May.
Hospitalisations in the state hit 5,164, the first time over 5,000 – and the most – since May 21. Cases in the state rose by 10,178.
Pennsylvania attributed 248 deaths to coronavirus, the biggest daily tally since May 14. Cases in the fifth-most-populous state rose by 11,972, a daily tally second only to last Saturday’s 12,884 infections.
Illinois reported a further 196 deaths. That is the third-biggest daily tally on record and compared to a peak of 238 on December 2, according to data from the health department. The sixth-biggest state by population tallied a further 11,101 cases on Thursday, the most since December 1.