US tops 90,000 coronavirus deaths, 1.5 million cases

The United States on Monday surpassed 90,000 deaths from the novel coronavirus and 1.5 million confirmed cases, according to a running tally from Johns Hopkins University.

The Baltimore-based monitor registered 10,000 deaths in just one week.

The US has the world’s highest number of deaths and infections but several countries — including Belgium, Spain, Britain, Italy and Sweden — have recorded more fatal cases per capita, according to the statistical website Worldometer.

New York state accounts for nearly a third of US deaths, with more than 28,300 linked to COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins.

The state officially records about 22,700 deaths but this does not include those that were probably linked to the virus, where there was no official confirmation.

By June 6, the US could reach around 112,000 deaths, according to an average of 20 epidemiological models analyzed by the University of Massachusetts.

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Nearly 11.5 million tests have been carried out in the US, according to Johns Hopkins — fewer per capita than dozens of countries — and about 272,000 people declared recovered.

The pandemic has killed more than 316,000 people around the world since its emergence in China late last year, according to an AFP tally based on official sources. (AFP)