On Sunday (July 12) Florida alone reported 15,000 new cases.
Meanwhile Mexico's death toll passed 35,000, making it the fourth worst-hit country.
But Monday (July 13) saw investors look on the bright side.
Stocks around Asia rallied, with Japan's Nikkei closing over two percent higher and hitting a one month high.
Korea's Kospi jumped almost 1.7% - its biggest daily gain in a month.
Hopes for progress on a vaccine among the positives.
That after Gilead Sciences of the U.S. said its remdesivir drug helped reduce the risk of death in severely ill COVID-19 patients.
The gains then carried over into Europe.
London's FTSE 100 index gained one percent in early trade, before easing back.
It's now up about 26% from its March lows.
Traders said the focus was on corporate earnings season, due to kick off this week in the U.S. and Europe.
That's expected to see most firms beat forecasts as they recover from the worst of the slump.
The recovery hopes helped lift makers of economic essentials.
Steel giants ArcelorMittal and Thyssenkrupp were both up over 4% early on,
Still some signs of caution though on Monday.
Gold, seen as a safe haven by many investors, was up almost half a percent in early European trade.
