The United States has edged close to registering 200,000 Covid-19 deaths, the latest grim milestone for the country just weeks before voters decide if President Donald Trump will stay in office.

According to a rolling tally by Johns Hopkins University, 199,743 Americans have died and 6.8 million have been confirmed infected. The US has had the world's highest official death toll for months, ahead of Brazil and India, with 136,895 and 87,882 deaths respectively.

Overall, the US accounts for four per cent of the world's population and 20pc of its coronavirus deaths, while its daily fatality rate relative to the overall population is four times greater than that of the European Union.