US coronavirus cases surge, as Texas passes 1 million infections and hospitals under pressure

The US reported over 142,000 new Covid-19 infections on Wednesday, with hospitalisations also at new highs

New York imposed tighter restrictions, with bars and restaurants to close at 10pm, while California is rapidly approaching a million cases

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A student at the University of Texas at El Paso has a coronavirus test. People in El Paso have been instructed to stay home for two weeks after cases rose, overwhelming hospitals. Photo: AP

Published: 2:07pm, 12 Nov 2020Updated: 2:07pm, 12 Nov 2020

Texas on Wednesday became the first US state with more than 1 million confirmed Covid-19 cases, and California closed in on that mark as a surge of coronavirus infections engulfs the country.

The US has recorded over 240,000 deaths and more than 10.3 million confirmed infections, with new cases soaring to highs of well over 120,000 per day over the past week. On Wednesday, there were a record 142,279 new Covid-19 infections. Health experts have blamed the increase in part on the onset of cold weather and growing frustration with mask-wearing and other precautions.

Cases per day are on the rise in 49 states, and deaths per day are climbing in 39. A month ago, the US was seeing about 730 Covid-19 deaths per day on average; that has now surpassed 970. The country recorded more than 1,400 fatalities in 24 hours on Wednesday.

Hospitals around the United States are once again overwhelmed. On Wednesday a record 65,368 people were in hospital with Covid-19, marking the second day in a row and second time ever that the tally passed the 60,000 mark, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

Texas, the second-most populous state, has recorded 1.02 million coronavirus cases and over 19,000 deaths since the outbreak began in early March, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. California, the most populous state, has logged more than 995,000 cases.