Record daily total for deaths in US as coronavirus surges in nearly every state

Motorists queue up to take a coronavirus test in a car park at Dodger Stadium, in Los Angeles. (Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP)

The US registered more Covid-19 deaths in a single day than ever before, nearly 3,900, on the very day the mob attack on the Capitol laid bare some of the same, deep political divisions that have hampered the battle against the pandemic.

The virus is surging in virtually every state, with California particularly hard hit.