The southern and western United States have emerged as the new center for the spread of covid-19. States such as California, Texas and Arizona have all recently reported record increases in the number of infected.

"We clearly do not have complete control of the situation right now," said Anthony Fauci, who heads the country's federal infection control authority.

Big increase

At present, the number of new infected in the United States is increasing by about 40,000 per day, but Fauci warns that it may soon be about 100,000 new infected daily if major measures are not implemented.

- We cannot focus only on the areas that have a large increase. The whole country is at risk.

Fauci urges the public to cover their faces and avoid crowds.

Restrictions are reintroduced

In June, the number of infected people doubled in at least ten US states, including Texas and Florida. In parts of Texas and Arizona, there is a lack of intensive care facilities.

In many places restrictions that were previously eased are now being reintroduced.

The number of daily deaths has again started to rise in the country. Over the past 24 hours, nearly 1,200 people have been found deceased as a result of the virus, which means that over 127,000 people have now died in covid-19 in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Over 2.6 million people have so far been found to be infected with the disease in the country, which is by far the most severely affected in the world, given the total number of dead and infected.

Arguing Trump

The increase causes President Donald Trump to again blame China.

"When I see how the pandemic is spreading its ugly face around the world, including the enormous damage it is inflicting on the United States, I become increasingly angry with China," Trump wrote on Twitter.

Tensions between the US and China have increased on several fronts during the pandemic. China accuses Trump of politicizing the spread of infection to remove focus from his own handling of the crisis, while the United States, for its part, has wanted to see greater transparency around China's virus.