The United States counted 1,442 new deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in the 24 hours leading up to 8:30 pm Friday (0030 GMT Saturday), according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

It was the fourth day in a row with more than 1,200 deaths, according to the Baltimore-based college. The US has now tallied a total of 153,268 deaths from COVID-19, making it the hardest-hit country in the world.

With another 69,000 cases recorded on Friday, the US has seen a total of more than 4.5 million infections since the beginning of the pandemic, with at least 1.4 million of them having recovered.

Health authorities said Friday that hundreds of children contracted the coronavirus at a summer camp in the state of Georgia last month, adding to a growing body of evidence that minors are both susceptible to infection and vectors of transmission.