The US has become the first country to record 2,000 coronavirus-linked deaths in a single day.
There were 2,108 deaths announced among Covid-19 patients in the past 24 hours, data from Johns Hopkins University’s tracker shows.
According to the tracker, the death tollin the US stands at 18,777, just short of Italy’s total of 18,849, which is currently the highest in the world
The US has also had more than 500,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the data.
The country accounts for nearly 30 per cent of all cases worldwide.
But, despite the grim total, American coronavirus response team member Dr Deborah Birx said there were “encouraging signs” for the US as the rate of new cases slows.
She told a White House media briefing: “You can see for the first time in the United States, we are starting to level on the logarithmic phase, like Italy did about a week ago.
“And so this gives us great heart that not only in specific places but that we are starting to see that change. A lot of that is driven by the improvement in New York City.”
The rate of infections and coronavirus-linked deaths in New York, the epicentre of the outbreak in the US, has also slowed recently.
Dr Birx warned that the US had not reached the peak of coronavirus infections, and social distancing measures would have to continue until then.
President Donald Trump added that the US was looking for a time to lift the restrictions and said he expects to see fewer deaths than were first predicted.
He said: “We’re seeing clear signs that our aggressive strategy is saving countless lives.”
