NEW YORK

The number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. passed the half-million mark early Saturday, while over 2,000 fatalities have been reported in the last 24 hours.

According to the latest figures by the U.S.’ Johns Hopkins University, the number of cases rose to 501,615, including 35,316 new ones.

The death toll stands at 18,777, with 2,091 new fatalities reported by the Maryland university.

The U.S. has more cases than any other country, followed by Spain with 161,852 and Italy with 147,577.

The state of New York continues to be the virus’ U.S. epicenter with 7,887 deaths, followed by next-door New Jersey with 1,932.

New York has had 174,489 cases so far with 12,682 additions since Friday, followed by 54,588 cases in New Jersey.

On the bright side, a total of 29,191 people have recovered from the disease, up 2,669.

Overall, the virus has spread to 185 countries, infecting more than 1.71 million people since it first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. The global death toll is nearly 104,000, while over 389,000 have recovered.

* Writing by Sena Guler in Ankara