US coronavirus death toll exceeds 75,000: study

ANKARA

The death toll in the US from the novel coronavirus has surpassed the 75,000 mark, according to data Thursday compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The university in the state of Maryland counted 75,423 deaths and 1,245,622 cases.

The US continues to lead worldwide cases and deaths from the virus. UK registered 30,689 deaths, followed by Italy with 29,958.

Nearly 190,000 patients have recovered in the US, according to the data.

New York is the worst-hit state with 26,130 deaths and more than 327,000 cases, followed by New Jersey with 8,801 deaths and an excess of 133,000 cases.

The bulk of deaths came days after President Donald Trump said the US could see up to 100,000 coronavirus fatalities.

"I used to say 65,000, and now I’m saying 80 or 90 and it goes up and it goes up rapidly," Trump said Sunday.

In mid-April, he said up to 65,000 people would die from the pandemic, a lower figure than White House experts predicted.

In late March, the doctor leading the White House's coronavirus response team, Deborah Birx, presented a model for the potential number of deaths.

It showed between 100,000 and 240,000 could die if the US follows social distancing and public health guidelines. Without any intervention, it forecast 1.5 to 2 million deaths.

Since the virus emerged last December in the Chinese city of Wuhan, it has spread to at least 187 countries and regions.

There are more than 3.8 million confirmed infections globally with more than 267,000 deaths, while more than 1.2 million patients have recovered.