The US has recorded the highest number of new coronavirus cases in a single day since August, after several states saw record daily spikes and the national total topped 7million.
There were 55,054 new COVID-19 cases reported by health authorities across the United States on Friday, a Johns Hopkins University tally shows.
It's the highest figure since August 14, when 64,350 new cases were recorded following a peak in infections in the summer.
The record uptick comes as the US surpassed the grim milestone of over 7million total infections on Friday, just three days after virus deaths topped 200,000.
The nation currently makes up more than 20 percent of the world's total cases and has the highest virus death toll than any country.
The alarming figures appear to be a result of a surge in cases in the country's Midwest where four states reported record one-day increases on Friday.
New York, once the epicenter of the deadly virus, is also experiencing an uptick with more than 1,000 residents testing positive on Friday - marking the first time since June 5 the state has seen a daily number that high.
The number of positive tests reported daily in the state has been steadily inching up in recent weeks, a trend possibly related to increasing numbers of businesses reopening, college campuses reopening and children returning to school.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday there were 1,005 positive cases tallied on the previous day out of 99,953 tests, for a 1 per cent positive rate.
COVID-19 infections in the United States are trending upwards and the average number of cases in the last seven days is up 10 per cent from the prior week, according to a Reuters analysis.
On average, the nation is reporting 44,000 new cases a day and about 700 deaths.
Despite cases still rising in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday lifted all COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, including restaurants and bars, saying the threat of the coronavirus pandemic had eased sufficiently to allow the state to enter the final phase of its reopening.
Source: Daily Mail