Coronavirus deaths surpass 300,000 worldwide

Lives lost in US account for a quarter of global deaths while states begin to 'reopen' and countries prepare for 'second' wave

The global death toll from the coronavirus has reached more than 300,000, as nearly 85,000 people in the US have died following Covid-19-related illness within four months of an outbreak that has infected more than 4 million people.

Deaths in the US have more than doubled within a month from roughly 40,000 in mid-April to more than 84,000 by 14 May, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The first coronavirus-linked death in the US was reported in late February. By the end of March, the US had eclipsed China with the highest reported death toll in the world. By then, the US had recorded roughly 3,400 deaths, a figure that has has surged by more than 25 times.

New York state remains the viral epicentre, recording nearly 28,000 deaths

The US accounts for nearly a quarter of all global cases. Despite the rapid increase in deaths, most states in the US are easing quarantine and stay-at-home restrictions, with many Americans heading back to work as the nation's economy sputters to Great Depression-level unemployment.

Deaths in the UK have topped more than 33,000, followed by Italy, which has recorded nearly 32,000 deaths after emerging as one of the deadliest countries in Europe hardest hit by the virus.

China, where the virus is believed to have originated, has reported roughly 4,600 deaths, though those numbers have been disputed.

US president Donald Trump continues to shift predicted death tolls in the US — claiming last month that the US would experience 60,000 deaths, then 75,000 at the beginning of May — to now suggest as many as 110,000 lives will be lost.

A University of Washington model often cited by the White House has adjusted its prediction to more than 147,000 deaths, up from last week's prediction of 134,00, which more than doubled a prediction a week prior.

In South Korea, where the number of confirmed cases exploded within the end of February and into March from a few hundred to several thousands, has recorded fewer than 300 deaths, as the nation's early warnings and mobilised health system stands in stark contrast to other countries that have struggled to slow the spread of the virus.

At one point, South Korea and the US had the same number of deaths, but South Korea has effectively contained its outbreak as it begins lifting some quarantine measures, though health workers have moved to close some bars and clubs as clusters of flare-ups have been identified.

Its response relies on a combination of contact tracing, strict surveillance and a network of community health centres for testing, which experts have pointed to its success in detecting and controlling the outbreak much earlier than other parts of the world.

Meanwhile, many countries that have emerged from early outbreaks with some relative containment success now are bracing for a "second" wave, though scientists say the threat from the "first" still remains.

The rising global death toll follows a warning from the World Health Organisation signalling that he virus may "never go away" while international groups scramble to develop a vaccine, which would be several months way and not immediately widely available.