Houston, Nov 8 (IANS): Texas has become the first state in the US to record more than one million confirmed coronavirus cases, as the country, currently the worst-hit, is struggling to contain the pandemic.

According to an NBC News report, the 'Lone Star State' on Friday registered 1,000,589 cases on Friday.

An NBC News analysis revealed that there was a 40 per cent increase in the number of new cases in Texas, while the fatality rate was also up by 10 per cent over the last two weeks, for a total of 18,977 as of Friday morning.

Ninety-four per cent of the coronavirus cases and 91 per cent of the deaths in Texas have occurred since the end of May, after Governor Greg Abbott began easing curbs against the pandemic, it added.

Meanwhile, California was also following Texas closely with an overall caseload of 960,361 , the analysis said.

Health officials have warned that the upcoming cold and flu season would lead to six-digit figures of cases, though the numbers spiked sooner than expected, a CNN report said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its ensemble forecast on Thursday, estimating between 250,000 and 266,000 coronavirus deaths in the US by the end of this month.

As of Sunday, the US' caseload and death toll stood at 9,849,696 and 237,017, respectively, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

The two tallies are currently the world's highest.