Washington, July 17 (TIWN) With more than 77,000 new COVID-19 cases, the US broke the record for the number of confirmed infections registered in a single day, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

As of Friday morning, the US accounted for the world's highest number of infections and fatalities at 3,570,037 and 138,291, respectively, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.

In the last 24 hours, 969 new deaths were recorded, which was the highest spike since June 10.

COVID-19 fatalities in the US peaked in April, when the country registered an average of 2,000 deaths in a single day

While New York state remains the hardest-hit with 404,775 cases, California, Florida and Texas have become the country's new COVID-19 hotspots with a rapid increases in daily new cases, Xinhua news agency reported citing the CSSE data..

California has reported 355,046 cases, Florida 315,775 and Texas 292,336.

States with over 100,000 cases also include New Jersey, Illinois, Arizona, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, the data showed.

Experts have warned that cases could soon top 100,000 a day if the country fails to take steps necessary to stem the spread of the virus.