(AP) – Total COVID-19 cases in the United States surpassed 40 million on Monday, fueled by a continued surge in infections attributed primarily to the unchecked spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus. By 3:21 p.m. EDT Monday, U.S. COVID-19 cases totaled 40,003,101, and the nationwide death toll totaled 648,935, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. The latest figures mean that the most recent 1 million cases were reported within the past six days, after three consecutive seven-day cycles. During the nation’s winter peak, the U.S. averaged 1 million new cases every four days, according to Johns Hopkins data. India has recorded the second-highest nationwide cases with 33,027,621, resulting in nearly 440,752 deaths, while Brazil has confirmed 20,890,779 cases and 583,628 COVID-19 fatalities, according to the Johns Hopkins tally.