America (Channel TT): The U.S. surged past 150,000 COVID-19 fatalities Wednesday as states battle a resurgence of the virus with differing attitudes about how to stop the spread.

The bleak milestone, reported by Johns Hopkins, comes on the heels of the U.S. hitting 4 million confirmed infections July 23. The death toll stood at 150,034 as of 4 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.

And there is not much relief in sight. The three most populous states – California, Texas and Florida – were among several that set seven-day records for virus deaths this week. Others set records for new cases. Tennessee and Arkansas set records for both.

The first known U.S. death was Feb. 6. Almost six months later the number of deaths is appalling – and could reach 200,000 in less than two months from now. That's based on the current average of 1,019 deaths per day this last week.

The record numbers of new weekly coronavirus cases that Arizona, Florida, Texas and California experienced a month ago are now playing out as record numbers of deaths in those states. Texas' death toll continues to rise, and the state had a record 1,607 deaths in the week ending Monday, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.

News Source: USTODAY