More than two months after the US recorded its worst day of new infections since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the nation reached another grim milestone on Wednesday as it reported 36,880 new cases.

The number of infections indicated that the country was not only failing to contain the coronavirus, but also that the caseload was worsening — a path at odds with many other nations that have seen steady declines after an earlier peak.

Cases in the US had been on a downward trajectory after the previous high of 36,739 cases on April 24, but they have roared back in recent weeks.

The resurgence is concentrated largely in the South and West. Florida, Texas, Oklahoma and South Carolina reported their highest single-day totals on Wednesday, but case numbers have been rising in more than 20 states.

The tally of new cases, based on a New York Times database, showed that the outbreak was stronger than ever even as the US continued to reopen its economy. The elevated numbers are a result of worsening conditions across much of the country, as well as increased testing — but testing alone does not explain the surge.

The percentage of people in Florida found to be positive for the virus has risen sharply. Increases in hospitalisations also signal the virus’s spread.

Some states, including New York, have brought their numbers under control. Hoping to keep it that way, New York — along with New Jersey and Connecticut — said it would institute a quarantine for some out-of-state travellers.

The stock market slid 2.6 per cent as investors fretted about what the latest troubling news meant for the economic recovery. That could lead some states to slow the reopening of businesses, further hobbling the economy and delaying its recovery.

As of Wednesday, 2.3 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus, and 121,925 have died.

On Wednesday it was as if the country had found itself back in March — at the start of the pandemic, in the early days of the lockdown, when masks were in short supply and when the death toll was skyrocketing. Governor Gavin Newsom of California said that the state had recorded more than 7,000 new cases over the previous day.

In Washington state, where case numbers have again been trending upward, the governor said residents would have to start wearing masks in public. “This is about saving lives,” said the state’s governor, Jay Inslee, a Democrat. “It’s about reopening our businesses. And it’s about showing respect and care for one another.”

New York Times News Service