The number of newly confirmed coronavirus in the United States hit an all-time high o almost 40,000 infections, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University. According to the JHU figures, Thursday's figures surpassed the previous high of 36,400 that was reported on April 24 when less testing was taking place. The US now has 2.42 million confirmed cases of the deadly illness and 124,415 people have died. The new cases are mounting in 30 states, led by California, Texas and Florida. A number of states are seeing record daily infections, including Alabama, Texas and Nevada, and parts of Texas are reporting that their hospitals are close to capacity, prompting some of them to pause reopening plans. Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, told reporters Thursday that more than 20 million people may have been infected in the country. "Our best estimate right now is that for every case that's reported, there actually are 10 other infections," Redfield told reporters in a media call. Texas, which has been at the forefront of moves to end lockdown measures, has seen thousands of new cases, prompting Republican Governor Greg Abbott to call a temporary halt to its reopening. "This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business," he said on Thursday. — Agencies
