Coronavirus: US cases pass 10m with 239,000 deaths recorded

More than 10 million people have now been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the US, according to the latest data.

The count by NBC News shows the grim milestone was reached as the number of cases globally hit 50 million.

There have now been more than 239,000 officially recorded deaths in the US. 

More than 1 million confirmed cases of the virus were reported in the US within the last 10 days.

The nation’s seven-day average exceeds 100,000, with at least four consecutive days within the last week in which the US broke its own record for daily cases.

New cases rose 20 per cent within the last week, while hospitalisations rose by 14 per cent, according to The Covid Tracking Project.

Deaths also are rising — more than 1,000 deaths were reported every day within the last week. Over the previous week, more than 6,000 deaths were reported.

The news comes just a day after the presidential election was called in favour of president-elect Joe Biden, after a campaign centered on the mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic by Donald Trump.

As the election dominated American life over the last several days, at least 5,600 Americans died between Election Day on 3 November and Mr Biden’s declaration of victory over Mr Trump on 7 November.

While leading health advisers and infectious disease experts in the administration warn the nation about the latest growing threat from the public health crisis, the president has sparred publicly with members of his coronavirus task force — which has not met with him for weeks — and contradicted their message.

An internal report from task force member Dr Deborah Birx from the day before Election Day told White House officials that the US is “entering the most concerning and most deadly phase of this pandemic.”

“This is not about lockdowns,” she said. “It hasn’t been about lockdowns since March or April. It’s about an aggressive balanced approach that is not being implemented.”

On Monday, presidenct-elect Biden is expected to name his team of scientists and health experts as part of his transition team to begin implementing an “action blueprint” to address the crisis when he is expected to be inaugurated in January.

“That plan will be built on a bedrock of science,” he said in his victory remarks on 7 November. “It will be constructed out of compassion, empathy, and concern.I will spare no effort or commitment to turn this pandemic around.”