Coronavirus US update: Nearly 40,000 new cases bring tally close to 3 million

The United States continues to struggle with a fresh spike in coronavirus cases as the country recorded 39,379 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University on Sunday. 

The US also saw 234 new fatalities, taking the total toll to 129,891 as overall cases stand at 2,876,143. 

The latest figures are a part of a new surge in infections and include a high of 57,683 on Friday. 

The drop witnessed on Sunday could be because of less reporting on the July 4th national holiday weekend.

By a massive margin, the US has suffered the most from the coronavirus pandemic and struggled to contain the infections and deaths. 

In recent days, 15 states have confirmed a record increase in COVID-19 infections, which forced many towns and cities to cancel traditional Independence Day fireworks. 

In three out of the last four days, Florida recorded over 10,000 cases, including a jump of 10,059 on Sunday, which is more than the highest daily tally witnessed by any European country when they witnessed the peak of the outbreak. 

California, Texas, and Arizona are also witnessing a surge in cases, and Midwest states that once had low infections tally are seeing an uptick, such as Ohio, Michigan, and Iowa, according to a Reuters analysis. 

(With inputs from AFP and Reuters)