A spike in infections in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas this month has overwhelmed hospitals. The rise has forced states to make a U-turn on reopening economies that were restricted by lockdowns in March and April to slow the spread of the virus.
One person in the United States died about every minute from COVID-19 on Wednesday as the national death toll surpassed 150,000, the highest in the world.
The United States recorded 1,461 new deaths on Wednesday, the highest one-day increase since 1,484 on May 27, according to a Reuters tally.
Texas leads the nation with nearly 4,300 deaths so far this month, followed by Florida with 2,900 and California, the most populous state, with 2,700. The Texas figure includes a backlog of hundreds of deaths after the state changed the way it counted COVID-19 fatalities.
While deaths have rapidly risen in July in these three states, New York and New Jersey still lead the nation in total lives lost and for deaths per capita, according to a Reuters tally.
Of the 20 countries with the biggest outbreaks, the United States ranks sixth for deaths per capita, at 45 fatalities per 100,000 people. It is exceeded by the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Peru and Chile.
