By Diane Craft
(Reuters) – The United States recorded more than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19 for the third day in a row on Thursday, as the outbreak strained hospitals in California, Florida and Texas, according to a Reuters tally.
The rise in the U.S. death toll has not seen back-to-back days with over 1,000 lives lost since early June. Many states and local governments in May lifted restrictions and reopened beaches, restaurants and businesses, triggering a surge in cases in June and an increase in fatalities in July.
So far in July, 17 states have broken one-day records for increases in COVID-19 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.
With not all states reporting yet, deaths rose by at least 1,014 to a total of 144,211 on Thursday compared with a rise of 1,135 on Wednesday and a jump of 1,141 on Tuesday. Total cases across the United States surpassed 4 million and rose by at least 60,000 on Thursday.
Even though deaths are rising in the United States for a second week in a row, they remain well below levels seen in April, when 2,000 people a day on average died from the virus.
Among the 20 countries with the largest outbreaks, the United States ranks sixth highest globally for deaths per capita, according to a Reuters analysis.
(Reporting by Diane Craft; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
