As the number of new coronavirus cases in the United States rose to a single-day record, fresh government data on Thursday showed another 1.3 million Americans filed for jobless benefits, highlighting the pandemic’s devastating impact on the economy, Reuters reported.

More than 60,000 new Covid-19 infections were reported on Wednesday and US deaths rose by more than 900 for the second straight day, the highest since early June.

Florida on Thursday announced nearly 9,000 new cases and 120 new coronavirus deaths, a record daily increase in lives lost. Positive test rates reached a new daily high of 18 per cent, up from 12pc-13pc two weeks ago. California and Texas, the most populous states, announced record increases in Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday.

The grim US numbers come on top of extraordinarily high jobless figures, although they came in lower than economists had forecast.