US records new high of over 200,000 Covid cases in 24 hours: tally

People wearing facemasks have lunch outside of a boarded Baja Fresh restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard amid the Coronavirus pandemic, November 10, 2020, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States on Tuesday far exceeded its previous daily record of new Covid-19 cases, adding 201,961 cases in 24 hours, according to the tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The high number, partly due to data delayed over the weekend, took total cases in the US to 10,238,243, with a total of 239,588 deaths, as of 8:30 pm (0130 GMT).

In the 24-hour period, 1,535 deaths from Covid-19 were registered, a record in recent months as the US struggles to contain the spread of the pandemic.