US records a coronavirus death every minute in heartbreaking day

 US President Donald Trump. Photo: Reuters.

One person in the United States died about every minute from Covid-19 in one day as the national death toll surpassed 150,000 - the highest in the world.  The US recorded 1,461 new deaths on Wednesday, the biggest one-day increase since 1,484 on May 27, according to data. The country's coronavirus deaths are rising at their fastest rate in two months and have increased by 10,000 in the past 11 days.

Nationally, Covid-19 deaths have risen for three weeks in a row while the number of new cases week-over-week recently fell for the first time since June. A spike in infections in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas in July has overwhelmed hospitals. The rise has forced states to make a U-turn on reopening economies that were restricted by lockdowns in March and April to slow the spread of the virus.

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Texas leads the nation with nearly 4,300 deaths so far this month, followed by Florida with 2,900 and California, the most populous state, with 2,700. The Texas figure includes a backlog of hundreds of deaths after the state changed the way it counted Covid-19 fatalities.

 Medical staff treat a patient in the Covid-19 intensive care unit at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston. Photo: Getty Images.

While deaths have rapidly risen in July in these three states, New York and New Jersey still lead the nation in total lives lost and for deaths per capita, according to a tally. Of the 20 countries with the biggest outbreaks, the United States ranks sixth for deaths per capita, at 45 fatalities per 100,000 people. It is exceeded by the UK, Spain, Italy, Peru and Chile.

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The US death toll is nearing three times that of the losses suffered by the US in the Vietnam War, where the nation lost 58,220 men and women.