President Donald Trump has called off a Republican convention due to take place in Florida due to the rise in coronavirus cases in the USA.

The number of positive COVID-19 cases across the country has now passed four million.

And Florida in particular has seen a significant rise in infections recently, increasing from 3,286 on June 23 to 10,249 one month later.

As a result, Trump has called off the convention, which was set to be held in Jacksonville.

Speaking at the White House, the President said: "I looked at my team and I said the timing for this event is not right. It's just not right.

"To have a big convention, it's not the right time. There's nothing more important in our country than keeping our people safe."

The convention was originally due to take place in North Carolina but was moved after the governor of the state voiced fears over staging mass gatherings due to the spread of the virus.

The number of deaths from coronavirus in the US now stands at 147,432, 60,000 more than the second-worst affected country, Brazil.

Trump’s announcement that he would no longer be hosting a convention in Florida came just hours after a Quinnipiac University poll found Democratic candidate Joe Biden to be leading Trump by 51% to 38% in the state.

Florida remains a key swing-state which could decide the outcome of the 2020 US election come November.