US COVID-19 Deaths Cross 4,000: Johns Hopkins Report

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The total death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in the US topped 4,000 early Wednesday, 1 April, more than double the number from three days earlier, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The number of deaths was 4,076 – more than twice the 2,010 recorded late Saturday.

More than 40 percent of recorded deaths nationally were in New York state, the Johns Hopkins data showed.

On Tuesday, the United States exceeded the number of deaths in China, where the pandemic emerged in December last year before spreading worldwide.

The number of confirmed US cases has reached 1,89,510, the most in the world, though Italy and Spain have recorded more fatalities.

After initially downplaying the threat from the novel coronavirus in the early stages of the US outbreak, President Donald Trump warned of "a very, very painful two weeks" to come for the country on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, former US President Barack Obama took a veiled swipe on Tuesday, 31 March, at his successor Donald Trump, chastising those who have "denied warnings" of a deadly coronavirus pandemic and cautioning against ignoring the consequences of climate change.

The popular two-term Democrat took to social media as the Trump administration finalised a controversial rollback of Obama-era vehicle fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards that were aimed at slowing global warming.

(The story has been published in an arrangement with PTI.)