US crosses 40 million Covid-19 cases amid Delta variant spread

The US became the first country in the world to surpass the grim milestone of 40 million cases and more than 649,000 reported deaths.

The United States on Tuesday crossed the sombre milestone of 40 million coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The US became the first country in the world to surpass the grim figure of 40 million cases and more than 649,000 reported deaths. It has remained the worst-hit country in terms of total Covid-19 cases and related deaths.

The United States has been reporting Covid-19 cases mainly driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. (Reuters)

The United States has been reporting new Covid-19 cases largely driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. The authorities struggled to contain the Covid wave as the vaccination drive, which showed an impressive pace initially, later hit a wall due to vaccine hesitancy. Several incentives have been announced to vaccinate as many people as possible to attain some sort of herd immunity.

The health authorities have also been wary of the Delta variant spread given the reports of reduced efficacy of vaccines against the highly infectious variant first detected in India. While the US has been witnessing a significant decline in fresh infections, the daily new Covid-19 cases are still greater than most of the countries.

India has the second-highest overall Covid-19 cases, followed by Brazil, the UK, Russia, and France.