More than 10,000 people have now died from the coronavirus in the US.
The death toll rose by 1,104 to 10,720 on Monday as the country continues to lead the world in confirmed infections with more than 362,000.
In Washington, US surgeon general Jerome Adams offered a stark warning about the expected wave of deaths.
“This is going to be our Pearl Harbour moment, our 9/11 moment,” he said.
People wear masks to protect themselves from Covid-19 in the USAFP via Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump suggested the hard weeks ahead could foretell the turning of a corner.
Speaking at a White House briefing, he said: “We’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel."
In New York City, the US epicentre of the pandemic, daily confirmed deaths dropped slightly, along with intensive care admissions and the number of patients who needed breathing tubes inserted.
The state has been averaging just under 600 deaths per day for the past four days.
Governor Andrew Cuomo warned that it was too soon to relax the restrictions aimed at keeping people from getting too close to one another.
“The numbers look like it may be turning. ‘Yay, it’s over!’ No, it’s not. And other places have made that mistake,” he said.
Worldwide, more than 1.3 million people have been confirmed infected and over 70,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University data
Deaths have topped 5,000 in the UK as the death toll rose by 439 to 5,373.
The news comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted into intensive care on Monday evening after his Covid-19 symptoms worsened.
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France recorded its highest 24-hour death toll since the epidemic began, 833.
And Japan is expected to declare a state of emergency for Toyko and other areas because of soaring infections in the country.