US records over 1,100 new coronavirus deaths for second day in a row

The US deaths from the novel coronavirus rose by more than 1,100 for the second day in a row on Wednesday, including a record one-day rise in fatalities in Alabama, California, Nevada and Texas, according to a Reuters tally.

The United States has not seen back-to-back days with over 1,100 lives lost since late May. Weeks after cases began to surge, 23 states are now seeing fatalities also rise, according to a Reuters analysis of deaths for the past two weeks compared with the prior two weeks.

Deaths rose by 1,101 on Wednesday to a total of over 143,000 after climbing 1,141 on Tuesday. Total cases are nearing four million. The states with the most deaths on Wednesday were Texas at 197, California at 159, Florida at 140 and Ohio at 106.

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While deaths are rising in the United States for a second week in a row, they remain well below levels seen in April, when on average 2,000 people a day died from the virus.

One hard-hit Texas county is storing bodies in refrigerated trucks after Covid-19 deaths doubled in the span of a week.

Hidalgo County, at the southern tip of the state on the US border with Mexico, has seen cases rise 60 percent in the last week, according to a Reuters tally, with deaths doubling to more than 360.

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Crematoriums in the Hidalgo County area have a waitlist of two weeks, a local official said, forcing the county to use five refrigerated trucks that can hold 50 bodies each.

Among the 20 countries with the largest outbreaks, the United States ranks sixth highest globally for deaths per capita, according to a Reuters analysis.