THE US ON Friday became the first country to record more than 2,000 coronavirus deaths in one day, with 2,108 fatalities in the past 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.

The US has now recorded 18,586 deaths and is closing in on the toll of 18,849 dead in Italy, which has seen the most fatalities so far in the global pandemic.

The US is also approaching half a million confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 496,535 as of midnight today, an increase of 35,098 in the past 24 hours.

With more than half a million reported infections, the it has already counted more coronavirus cases than anywhere else in the world.

The global coronavirus death toll has topped 100,000 as Easter weekend celebrations around the world kicked off in near-empty churches.

Measures from New York to Naples to New Delhi have seen businesses and schools closed in a desperate bid to halt the virus’s spread, and the IMF has warned that the world now faces the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

President Donald Trump, however, said that with the US infection trajectory “near the peak” and social distancing working well, he was considering ways to re-open the world’s biggest economy as soon as possible.

He acknowledged the risk of higher death tolls if businesses restart too soon.

“But you know what? Staying at home leads to death also,” Trump added, pointing to the economic impact for Americans.

It is unclear when that will be possible, with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo saying millions in the state – the hardest hit in the country – will have to be tested before it can reopen.

The World Health Organization has warned that prematurely lifting lockdown restrictions – affecting more than half the planet’s population – could spark a dangerous resurgence of the disease. 

 © AFP 2020