This archive report was first published on 18 July 2020.
July 18, 2020
Washington - The United States has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with a record 77,638 new cases reported on Friday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
The country also recorded 927 deaths in one day, the highest single-day toll since the pandemic began.
Experts believe the US never fully emerged from its first wave of infections and that cases have been surging again in recent weeks, particularly in the south and west.
California's Los Angeles County reported 4,592 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, a single-day record.
"Without aggressive action on the part of every person, we will not get back to slowing the spread," said Barbara Ferrer, the county public health director.
Refrigerated trucks have been brought in to cope with the body count in Texas and Arizona, which are dealing with stark surges in virus cases and deaths.
