US sets new record of almost 4,500 virus deaths in a day

The United States death toll from Covid-19 has hit a new daily record of nearly 4,500, said Johns Hopkins University yesterday evening.

As the health crisis rages out of control in the US, it is the first time the toll in the country hardest hit by the pandemic surpassed 4,000 in 24 hours.

The US recorded more than 235,000 new coronavirus infection and 4,470 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins tally as of 8.30pm (0130 GMT).

Around 131,000 people are now hospitalised in the US with the disease, said the Covid Tracking Project.

The weekly average of fatalities is at its highest level since the pandemic started, it added.

Faced with these grim numbers and the presence of a new, more contagious Covid-19 variant, authorities announced yesterday that people wishing to fly to the US must show proof of a negative test prior to departure.

The nation, where health restrictions vary drastically between states and compliance can be spotty, is ultimately counting on a massive vaccination campaign that began in the middle of last month to bring the health crisis to its end.

However, the effort is running behind, with just 9.3 million people having received the first of two injections of the two vaccines authorised in the US. That is less than 10% of the population.

The world’s largest economy has now recorded 22.8 million cases and more than 380,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.