US sets world record with one million daily Covid cases

The US has recorded more than one million Covid-19 cases in a single day, as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly. The figure is the highest recorded anywhere in the world since the pandemic began in 2019.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU), more than one million cases of Covid-19 were registered in the US on Monday. Monday's 1,082,549 new coronavirus infections bring the total number of cases confirmed in the US since the start of the pandemic to 56,189,547. 

The figure is a new record and almost doubles the previous high of around 590,000, which was set just four days ago. The arrival of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 on US shores is blamed for driving an exponential growth in Covid-19 infections. 

Many Americans are undertaking tests at home, and may not be officially registering their test results, leading some experts to suggest the real number of infections to be much higher. Mixing over the Christmas period is likely to have increased contagion.

According to the JHU, the states with the highest per-capita infection rates are Maryland, Alabama, Delaware, New Jersey, and Ohio.

Outside the US, the highest daily number of infections in a single day was recorded in India on May 7, 2021. More than 414,000 people were diagnosed as the Delta variant spread.