The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States surpassed 4.5 million, reaching 4,536,240 as of 2.58 p.m. local time (1858 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

Meanwhile, the national death toll from the disease rose to 152,878, according to the CSSE, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

The hardest-hit state California recorded 493,396 cases. Florida reported 470,371 cases, Texas 428,500 cases, and New York 415,014 cases, the tally showed.

States with over 170,000 cases also include Georgia, New Jersey, Illinois, and Arizona, the CSSE data showed.

(This story was published from a syndicated feed. Only the headline and picture has been edited by FIT)