America's top infectious disease expert has identified the five measures that could stop coronavirus infections surging.
White House adviser Dr Anthony Fauci, who has often been at loggerheads with President Donald Trump during the pandemic, has outlined the key principles as the US death toll continues to run amok.
Speaking on MSNBC on Wednesday, he said universal wearing of masks, avoiding crowds, physical distancing of at least six feet, typical hand hygiene and avoiding bars or closing them where possible will help curb the pandemic.
Dr Fauci said the increase in positive Covid-19 test results in states such as Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Indiana pointed towards a major resurgence in those areas.
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He added that members of the Trump administration's coronavirus task force had pointed out to governors the importance of getting "ahead of the curve".
"What we are seeing now is what actually took place a couple of weeks ago.
"If we don’t start initiating rather strict adherence to the five principles I just mentioned, what inevitably is going to happen is that the states that are not yet in trouble will likely get into trouble.
"If you’re not getting your arms around and suppressing that surge that’s coming up, that’s just a little bit below the radar screen, before you know it, two to three weeks down the pike, you’re in trouble," he added.
It comes after data showed one person in the US died about every minute from Covid-19 on Wednesday as the national death toll surpassed 150,000 - the highest in the world.
This total is three times that of the UK's coronavirus death toll.
The US recorded 1,461 new deaths yesterday, the biggest one-day increase since 1,484 on May 27, according to data.
The country's coronavirus deaths are rising at their fastest rate in two months and have increased by 10,000 in the past 11 days.
Nationally, Covid-19 deaths have risen for three weeks in a row - though the number of new cases week-over-week recently fell for the first time since June.
A spike in infections in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas in July has overwhelmed hospitals.
The rise has forced states to make a U-turn on reopening economies.
