Washington, July 2 (RHC)-- Coronavirus cases in the United States rose by almost 50,000, the biggest daily increase since the pandemic started, according to the latest tally late on Wednesday.

The number of U.S. COVID-19 infections has surged over the past week, with daily figures setting new records several times in the past week, according to the tally.  The United States reported at least 49,286 cases as of the end of Tuesday.

Arizona, California, Florida and Texas have led the increases and were among 14 states that have reported a more than doubling of case numbers during the month of June, according to an analysis as of the end of Wednesday.

The United States has reported at least 2.68 million cases with over 128,000 deaths.  The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday warned any nation that fails to use every mechanism available to combat the still raging novel coronavirus is in for a "long, hard" battle.