New cases of Covid-19 rose in 27 out of 50 US states in September compared with August, led by an increase of 111 per cent in Wisconsin, according to a Reuters analysis.

The Midwest states of North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin all saw cases surge more than 50pc month-over-month, as did Montana, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Illinois had the smallest increase among the 27 states with rising cases, up 5pc month-over-month. The only Midwest states where cases fell were Ohio and Indiana.

The United States reported 1.18 million new cases in September compared with 1.41 million in August. Overall, cases in the country reached 7.26 million compared with 6.05 million at the end of August, an increase of 19pc.