Six US states reported record day-over-day increases in Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday, according to a Reuters analysis, as infections rose across the Midwest and elsewhere, prompting new clampdowns on residents, schools and businesses.
Deaths attributed to the coronavirus hit daily records in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Kansas, Hawaii and Wisconsin, Reuters found.
Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Colorado and Ohio reported record daily increases in new infections, the tally showed.
The number of patients in United States hospitals suffering from the virus on Wednesday hit 40,000 for the first time since August, according to the analysis.
"Folks, please stay home," Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said in a statement on Wednesday. "Help us protect our communities from this highly contagious virus and avoid further strain on our hospitals."
Mr Evers said a week-old field hospital in the Milwaukee suburbs had admitted its first patient.
Wisconsin is a pivotal battleground state in the Nov 3 election between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.
By yesterday, the Covid-19 pandemic had killed more than 222,000 people in the US, which is the world's worst-affected country, with over 8.34 million cases. Opinion polls show Mr Trump's handling of the pandemic has hurt his re-election prospects.
In Illinois, 66 people were killed from Covid-19 on Wednesday, the state's highest single-day increase since mid-June.
In Kansas, where the death toll rose by 80 on Wednesday, Governor Laura Kelly said the pandemic was putting a strain on hospitals and that all 62 residents of a nursing home in Norton County had contracted the virus. Ten have died.
"The tragic deaths in Norton are a stark reminder that Covid-19 poses a real threat to all Kansans," Ms Kelly told a news conference.
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United States: Cumulative deaths as at Wednesday
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Minnesota 2,281
Iowa 1,579
Montana 275
Wisconsin 1,681
Kansas 952
Hawaii 203
SOURCE: STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENTS
Nationally, cases have been trending higher for five weeks, rising to 60,000 on average over the past seven days from a recent low of 35,000 a day in the middle of the previous month.
The rise in new infections partly reflects stepped-up testing in several states, which has provided a more accurate picture of the spread of the virus.
The US has averaged 734 daily coronavirus deaths over the past seven days, still well below the 2,333 average at the height of the pandemic in April.
The latest outbreak on a per capita basis is most severe in the Midwest, where daily case counts hit a record on Monday with over 27,000 new infections reported.
Midwest hospitalisations climbed to 10,830 on Tuesday, hitting a record high for a fifth day in a row and raising fears that medical centres could become overwhelmed like in the early months of the pandemic in the US Northeast.
Outside the Midwest, health officials sought to curtail smaller outbreaks.
Boston officials announced that public school students would shift to remote learning because of a rising infection rate in the city that was hit hard during the spring.
School districts across the US have been grappling with reopening plans during the coronavirus pandemic.
In New York City, home to the nation's largest public school system, officials ordered some schools to revert to remote learning earlier this month after infections spiked in a few areas.
In Los Angeles, the second-largest school district in the country, schools remain closed for in-person education for most students.
REUTERS