The US health secretary warned on Sunday that the window to halt the spread of coronavirus across America was closing after a clutch of southern states reported record increases in cases.

The US has now registered 2.5m cases and more than 125,000 deaths from the disease — a quarter of global infections and fatalities despite the country comprising little more than 4 per cent of the world’s population. 

While Los Angeles, Chicago and New York remain the hardest-hit cities, US health and human services secretary Alex Azar said cases were “surging” in southern parts of the country. Several of these states emerged early from lockdown against federal guidelines that recommend phased openings only once a state has recorded a fortnight-long reduction in cases.