US sets new global record with 1,480 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours; toll crosses 7,000

There has been a huge surge in the number of deaths being reported from the US, jumping from more than 6000 cases and crossing over to the 7000-mark in just a single day.

A body is loaded onto a refrigerated container truck used as a temporary morgue by medical workers at Brooklyn Hospital Center, New York. (Photo | AP)

WASHINGTON: The United States recorded nearly 1,500 deaths from COVID-19 between Thursday and Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, the worst 24-hour death toll globally since the pandemic began.

With 1,480 deaths counted between 8:30 pm (0030 GMT) Thursday and the same time Friday, according to the university's continuously updated figures, the total number of people who have died since the start of the pandemic in the United States is now 7,157.

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There has been a huge surge in the number of deaths being reported from the US, jumping from more than 6000 cases and crossing over to the 7000-mark in just a single day as on Thursday, the country had recorded 1,169 COVID-19 fatalities in the past 24 hours, the Johns Hopkins University tracker showed, the highest one-day death toll recorded in any country since the global pandemic began.

The grim record was previously held by Italy, where 969 people died on March 27.

Globally, Italy continues to report the most number of deaths with 14,681 fatalities, and 119,827 cases followed by Spain, which has recorded 11,198 deaths and 119,199 active cases, according to Johns Hopkins University tracker.