The United States has recorded fewer than 1,000 deaths in a day from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University.

According to new data, in the last 24 hours, 749 people died from the coronavirus, far below the peak of 4,473 deaths recorded on January 12.

The US is the country worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic, recording more than 29 million infections and 525,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

While the plateauing of cases and deaths signals hope, health officials have warned of new surges as new, more infectious variants of the virus continue to spread in the US.

health authorities added to the cautious optimism on Monday when they announced that vaccinated people could meet together in small groups indoors without wearing masks or the need for social distancing.

However, they must continue to respect these precautionary measures in the presence of unvaccinated people and in public spaces, authorities said.

Meanwhile, the US has became the top country in terms of administered vaccines with a record of over 92 million people inoculated against the novel coronavirus