THE US HAS seen a record number of coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period for the third consecutive day.

A tally by Johns Hopkins University counted 77,638 new infections on Friday in the country hardest-hit by the pandemic, where 139,128 total have died and 3.64 million have been confirmed as being infected.

Experts believe the US never emerged from its first wave of infections, and cases have been surging again in recent weeks, particularly across the south and west in states that pushed to lift lockdown restrictions early.

In Texas and Arizona, which are dealing with stark surges in virus cases and deaths, authorities are bringing in refrigerated trucks to cope with the body count.

Millions more children in the US have also learned that they are unlikely to return to classrooms full time in autumn because of the pandemic.

The country’s two most populous states each reported roughly 10,000 new cases and some of their highest death counts since the pandemic began.

Big numbers in Florida and Arizona are also helping drive the US resurgence that is forcing states to rethink the school year.

California Governor Gavin Newsom laid out strict criteria for school reopenings that makes classroom instruction unlikely for most districts.

The Democrat’s rules mandate that students above second grade and all staff wear masks. Los Angeles County reported 4,592 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, a single-day record.

Texas gave public schools permission to stay closed for more than 5 million students well into the fall.