US sees nearly 700 more virus deaths in 24 hours

[WASHINGTON] The United States lost another 687 people to the new coronavirus in the 24 hours leading up to 8.30pm (0030 GMT) on Thursday, according a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

It marks the eighth 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 a total of 118,381 deaths out of a total of 2,187,876 official cases.

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

But the White House's chief infectious disease expert said on Thursday he does not think new widespread containment measures will be necessary.

"I don't think we're going to be talking about going back to lockdown," said Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, when asked if some states should re-issue stay-at-home orders.

"I think we're going to be talking about trying to better control those areas of the country that seem to be having a surge of cases."

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AFP