US sees 705 more virus deaths in 24 hours

[WASHINGTON] The United States lost another 705 people to the new coronavirus in the 24 hours leading up to 8.30pm Friday (0030 GMT Saturday), according a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

It marked the ninth day in which the daily toll from the virus has been fewer than 1,000, even as the US remains the country hardest-hit by the pandemic with 119,086 deaths out of 2,219,119 official cases.

Some 20 states have seen a rebound in infections as the epicentre of the country's outbreak has moved from New York and the country's Northeast to the South and West.

Florida has seen record numbers of new cases almost every day in the past week, with 3,822 confirmed infections on Friday.

Governor Ron DeSantis has downplayed the rising caseload, saying many of the new patients are younger and asymptomatic.

There are fears of a second wave of Covid-19 infections following state reopenings and massive anti-racism protests around the country in recent weeks.

President Donald Trump's first campaign rally since the coronavirus crisis, which will be held Saturday night in Oklahoma, is also being criticised as a potential Covid-19 superspreader event.

AFP