US COVID-19 deaths more than 20,600 as cases climb to more than half a million; global cases top 1.7 million

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FILES: NEW YORK CITY, – MARCH 24: Wall Street stands empty as people stay away from the area due to the coronavirus on March 24, 2020 in New York City. Across the country schools, businesses and places of work have either been shut down or are restricting hours of operation as health officials try to slow the spread of COVID-19. Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP

 

(Eagle News) – Coronavirus related deaths in the United States climbed to more than 20,600 as COVID-19 infected more than half a million Americans, according to the latest data from the Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

The JHU’s COVID-19 dashboard on global cases also showed that the US still topped more than 180 countries with confirmed COVID-19 infections, with total infections reaching almost 530,000 (529,887) with more than 20,600 deaths (20,604 deaths) and at least 32,000 recoveries.

Total COVID-19 cases worldwide already reached 1.77 million with at least 108,862 deaths, and 404,236 recoveries.

Screenshot of COVID-19 global cases of the virus dashboard of Johns Hopkins University as of 10:27 a.m. Philippine Standard Time. (Courtesy Johns Hopkins University)

In the US, New York City alone the deaths reached 6,367, as of April 12, at 10:27 a.m. (PST), according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The whole state of New York also recorded at least 8,627 deaths, followed by New Jersey with 2,183 deaths, and Michigan with 1,392 deaths, according to worldometers.info.

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 08: Randall’s Island has fifty refrigerated trucks and a crew of carpenters building shelves for the expected influx of deaths related to COVID-19 pandemic on April 8, 2020 in New York City. The trucks will be able to house an estimated 2,500 of the dead as city morgues reach capacity. New York state has nearly 150,000 of the nation’s confirmed cases of COVID-19, including more than 6,000 dead. David Dee Delgado/Getty Images/AFP

After the US, Italy, the hardest-hit country in Europe with a population a fifth the size of the US, recorded 19,468 confirmed virus fatalities.

Spain followed with 16,606 deaths, although its confirmed COVID-19 cases of 163,027 were more than Italy’s 152,271, according to the data from the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University.

France was next with 13,832 fatalities and total cases here reached 130,730.

Next is United Kingdom with deaths reaching 9,875. Total cases here reached 79,885.

-Signs of infection rates levelling off-

But hopes began to rise in Western Europe and heavily infected parts of the United States that the pandemic was peaking, with many looking to China’s Wuhan, the disease’s original epicenter, where officials have been lifting stay-indoors restrictions and life began to return to normal.

The hardest-hit countries of Europe, and the centers of infection in the United States — New York and New Orleans — were seeing signs that infection rates were levelling off.

Numbers out of Spain offered a shred of hope Saturday: 510 new deaths, a dip in fatalities for the third day in a row.

Newly-reported coronavirus deaths in France fell by one-third from Friday to 635 on Saturday, according to Agence France Presse.

“A very high plateau for the epidemic appears to have been reached but the epidemic remains very active,” said French health official Jerome Salomon.

“We must absolutely remain vigilant,” he added.

Italy meanwhile said the number of daily deaths there was starting to level off — though the government resisted pressure to lift its lockdown, extending confinement measures until May 3.

New York and New Orleans saw a slowdown in the number of new infections, deaths and hospitalizations.

(with a report from Agence France Presse)