US reports smallest daily coronavirus cases increase in almost four weeks

The U.S. on Sunday saw its smallest daily increase in coronavirus cases in nearly four weeks after hitting an all-time high in July.

The U.S. recorded over 47,000 new cases on Sunday, the lowest figure since July 6, The Wall Street Journal reported. California, the hardest-hit state, is also down from its peak, recording 9,032 cases Saturday after a peak of over 12,000 on July 21. Florida, meanwhile, reported 7,084 new cases.

Despite the decline, Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, said Sunday the virus is more widespread than ever and recommended that schools in areas of heightened risk should use distance-learning models rather than return to in-person classes.

The U.S., which has more cases than any other country, hit its peak to date in July. More than 1.9 million new cases were reported last month, more than double the cases of any previous month, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Elsewhere, however, several other countries are seeing a surge in cases as well. India reported more than 50,000 new cases for the fifth consecutive day, reaching a total of more than 1.8 million. More than 38,000 people have died from the virus in India thus far.

Australia’s Victoria state has declared a state of disaster after reporting 429 new cases. President Trump pointed to the Australian announcement in a recent defense of the U.S. handling of the virus.

China, where the virus is thought to have originated in a wildlife market in the city of Wuhan, reported 92 new cases over the weekend. The majority of these were in the western region of Xinjiang, which added 58 cases, the newspaper reported.

Hong Kong, which has also seen a recent surge in cases, recorded fewer than 100 cases Monday for the first time in close to two weeks. The city recorded 80 new cases Monday, the WSJ reported.