On April 15, the US reached a grim nadir in the pandemic: 2,752 people across the country were reported to have died from Covid-19 that Wednesday, more than on any day before or since.

For months, the record stood as a reminder of the pain the coronavirus was inflicting on the nation, and a warning of its deadly potential. But now, after seven desperate months trying to contain the virus, daily deaths are rising sharply and fast approaching that dreadful count again.

The sheer breadth of the current outbreak means that the cost in lives lost every day is climbing again. More than 170,000 Americans are now testing positive for the virus on an average day.

On Wednesday, 2,300 deaths were reported nationwide — the highest toll since May.

Texas and Illinois have reported more than 800 deaths over the past week, while Pennsylvania, Michigan, California and Florida added more than 400 each. In the Upper Midwest, where reports of new cases have started to level off, deaths are still mounting. Nearly 40 per cent of all coronavirus deaths in Wisconsin have been reported since the start of November. In North Dakota, more than 1 of every 1,000 residents has now died.