The US is confirming more than 20,000 coronavirus cases a day. Many of the new cases are in the South and West.

• The United States confirmed 21,614 new coronavirus cases on Thursday — many of which were in the South and West, according to a New York Times database.
• The number is lower than the April peak of new coronavirus cases, but the number of new cases shows passing the peak doesn't mean the pandemic is over.
• The surge in cases in certain parts of the country may be related to the number of states beginning to loosen lockdown restrictions and the number of people protesting police brutality and anti-blackness.

The United States confirmed 21,614 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, according to a New York Times database. Many of the hot spots of new cases are located in the South and West of the US.

The number is lower than the April peak of new coronavirus cases. This is in part due to the declining number of cases in the Northeast and rising numbers in other parts of the country.

Two factors that may be contributing to the increase in cases in certain parts of the country are the reopening of states after lockdown and the wave of civil rights protests rallying against police brutality.

More states have seen a rise in new cases than those that have seen a decline. According to the database, 18 have seen a rise over the past two weeks, 15 have seen a decline, and 17 have stayed roughly the same.

Arizona's death toll surpassed 1,000 this week. Texas, another state that has started loosening its regulations and reopening businesses, reported one of its highest numbers since the pandemic began with 1,784 new cases on Thursday.

Coronavirus deaths have seen a drop overall, with half of the number of people dying each day than at the peak of the virus. The average death toll this week was 938 people a day.