US coronavirus death toll nears 110,000

CDC figures released today revealed that there are now more than 1.9million confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the US

The number of Americans that have died from the coronavirus pandemic has reached almost 110,000.

Data released on Sunday by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that there are now 1,920,904 confirmed cases of Covid-19 — an increase of 29,214 cases in a day.

The officially recorded death toll stands at 109,901, an increase of 709 people.

Spikes in the daily count of cases and deaths are worrying health professionals as more states continue to reopen businesses and ease restrictions on social distancing.

Florida, which began to open up in mid-May, saw its largest daily increase in cases on 4 June, when 1,409 were recorded, topping a previous high on 17 April.

Nevertheless, the state has now moved on to Phase 2 of its reopening strategy excluding the three counties with the most cases — Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Broward.

States that initially suffered the worst outbreaks such as New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Michigan, now all register large declines in their number of cases.

On Wednesday, New York City went a day with no reported deaths from the virus for the first time since March.

However, the large number of people that have gathered across the country to protest the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police has raised concerns that a spike in cases may be on the horizon.

While most protesters are wearing masks, New York City has gone as far as to issue further guidance to people as to how to avoid spreading Covid-19 while protesting.

With the city poised to reopen after a more than two-month coronavirus shutdown, officials on Sunday lifted a curfew that was in place amid protests over police brutality and racial injustice. But they also urged that demonstrators be tested for Covid-19.

“Get a test. Get a test,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told people who have been participating in rallies and marches in memory of George Floyd.

He said the state would open 15 testing sites dedicated to protesters so they can get results quickly.

“I would act as if you were exposed, and I would tell people you are interacting with, assume I am positive for the virus,” Governor Cuomo added.

The US reached the grim milestones of 100,000 deaths on 27 May and 50,000 deaths on 24 April.

It is currently believed that the first US death was in California in early February.

With reporting from wire services