The United States has recorded more than 1,000 deaths from Covid-19 for the fourth straight day but a top White House adviser on the pandemic said she saw signs that the worst could be past in hard-hit southern and western states.

At least 1,019 fatalities due to Covid-19 have been confirmed nationwide, following 1,140 on Thursday, 1,135 on Wednesday and 1,141 on Tuesday. Total cases across the US rose by at least 68,800 to over 4 million.