U.S. coronavirus deaths reach over 120,000 as new hot spots emerge

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The death toll from the novel coronavirus reached over 120,000 in the United States, according to a Reuters tally on Monday, as new cases spike in several states.

More Americans have now died from COVID-19 than were killed fighting in World War One.

About 800 Americans have died on average each day so far in June, down from a peak of 2,000 a day in April, according to the tally of state and county data on COVID-19 deaths. (Reuters interactive: https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T)

Total U.S. coronavirus cases are over 2.2 million, the highest in the world, followed by Brazil with more than 1 million cases, and infections are rapidly rising in India.

After weeks of declining, U.S. coronavirus cases nationally are rising again with 12 states reporting record increases in cases last week as all states moved forward with reopening their economies. On Saturday, over 30,000 new cases were reported, the highest daily total since May 1, according to a Reuters tally.

Among states with record increases was Oklahoma, where President Donald Trump on Saturday addressed a less-than-full indoor arena in Tulsa, where only a handful of attendees wore masks.

In remarks that his campaign said later were a joke, he told cheering supporters he had asked U.S. officials to slow down testing for COVID-19, calling it a “double-edged sword” that led to more cases being discovered.

A White House official said Trump was “obviously kidding. We are leading the world in testing and have conducted 25 million-plus in testing.”

Health experts say expanded diagnostic testing accounts for some, but not all, of the growth in cases. They also call it a key tool in fighting the spread of the disease.

Of the 20 most severely affected countries, the United States ranks seventh based on deaths per capita, according to a Reuters tally. The United States has 3.6 fatalities per 10,000 people. Belgium is first with 8.5 deaths per 10,000, followed by the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and Sweden, according to the Reuters analysis.