Cardi B has apologised and said she spent “soo much money” having her family tested for Covid-19 before hosting a Thanksgiving meal for almost 40 people.

The rapper defied advice from US health officials urging people not to get together to celebrate the holiday amid the pandemic.

She sparked controversy when she revealed on Twitter that she had hosted a large bash, writing: “12 kids and 25 adults over the holidays. It was lit!!”

However, after a backlash from her fans, she added: “Sorry my bad wasn’t trying to make nobody feel bad.

“I just had my family in my home for the first time and it felt so good & uplifted me.

“I spent soo much money getting every1 tested but it felt worth it. I wasnt trying to offend no1.”

She appeared to row back on her apology later when she continued: “People be trying tooo hard to be offended. I wonder how they survive the real world.”

The party was attended by Cardi’s husband, rapper Offset, and their daughter, Kulture, after the couple called off their divorce.

Offset also shared an insight into the festivities, posting a video of a large group performing a dance routine together.

Coronavirus cases in the US have continued to rise and the number of new infections topped 200,000 for the first time on Friday.

The highest previous daily count was 196,000 on November 20, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.