Six US states see record COVID-19 deaths

NEW YORK, (Pakistan Point News - 29th Jul, 2020) A half-dozen US states in the South and West reported one-day records for coronavirus deaths on Tuesday and cases in Texas passed the 400,000 mark, Reuters reported.

Arkansas, California, Florida, Montana, Oregon and Texas each reported record spikes in fatalities.

In the United States more than 1,300 lives were lost nation wide on Tuesday, the biggest one-day increase since May, according to a Reuters tally.

California health officials said Latinos, who make up just over a third of the most populous US state, account for 56 percent of COVID-19 infections and 46 percent of deaths. Cases are soaring in the Central Valley agricultural region, with its heavily Latino population, overwhelming hospitals. The state on Tuesday reported 171 deaths.

Florida saw 191 coronavirus deaths in the prior 24 hours, the state health department said.

Texas added more than 6,000 new cases on Monday, pushing its total to 401,477, according to a Reuters tally. Only three other states - California, Florida and New York - have more than 400,000 total cases. The four are the most populous US states.

California and Texas both reported decreases in overall hospitalisations as Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top US infectious diseases expert, saw signs the surge could be peaking in the South and West while other areas were on the cusp of new outbreaks.

Fauci said early indications showed the percentage of positive coronavirus tests rising in Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky.