KATHMANDU: The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus eclipsed Italy’s for the highest in the world surpassing 20,000, reporting 20,071 fatalities according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.
The grim milestone was reached as the country reported more than 500,000 cases and President Donald Trump mulled over when the country may see a return to normality.
The pandemic’s center of gravity has long since shifted from China, where the first cases were reported in December, to Europe and the US, which now has by far the largest number of confirmed cases, international media report stated.
Over the past week, the number of new deaths each day has been about three times higher on average in the US than in Italy. Deaths have risen more than 9,000 for the week in the US compared with fewer than 3,000 in Italy.
The European nation on Saturday reported 619 new fatalities linked to COVID-19, bringing its death toll to 19,468.
With the New York area still deep in crisis, fear mounted over the spread of the scourge into the nation’s heartland.
Meanwhile, the death toll globally has been over 108,000.
(With inputs from agencies)
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