WASHINGTON, April 16, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The confirmed coronavirus death toll in the United States surpassed 30,000 on Thursday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
The tracker says 30,990 people have now died in the country from COVID-19 since the start of the global health crisis.
The US has the highest death toll in the world, followed by Italy with 21,645 dead although its population is just a fifth of that of the US.
Spain has recorded 19,130 deaths, followed by France with 17,167.
Nearly 640,000 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the United States, which has seen a record number of deaths over the past two days.
New York, the epicenter of the country’s COVID-19 epidemic, has suffered more than 14,000 deaths across the state alone.
Meanwhile President Donald Trump promised to unveil plans later Thursday to reopen the US economy, claiming his country has “passed the peak” of the coronavirus crisis despite the record daily death tolls.
Promising swift guidelines, he has suggested less-affected states could ease restrictions before May 1.