US coronavirus cases surpass 6 million

31 August 2020, 20:32

Six million people have now tested positive for coronavirus in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The tally, which was reported on Monday, means the US still has far more confirmed cases than any other country in the world, along with 183,258 deaths - also the highest number.

It comes after Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota all recently counted a record number of new daily cases of COVID-19, while Montana and Idaho recorded a record number of virus patients being treated in hospital.

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In Iowa, many of the new cases have been traced to counties where local universities are currently allowing students to travel into campuses to take in-person classes.

Meanwhile, at least 88 cases have been traced back to an annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, North Dakota, which saw 365,000 people attend earlier this month.

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But despite recent surges in new infections in the Midwest, the national tally on COVID-19 cases, deaths, and treatment in hospitals are all on the decline.

The US, while having the most coronavirus cases in the world, is also tenth based on coronavirus cases per capita, according to Reuters.

Brazil, Peru and Chile all have higher rates of infection.

It is also 11th in the world for the number of deaths, and is behind Sweden, Brazil, Italy, Chile, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Peru.