The

United States has confirmed 150,000 fatalities from the coronavirus (COVID-19),

by far the world’s highest death toll in the world.

Official

deaths related to the pandemic stand at 150,034 in the US, according to the

John Hopkins University virus tracker. Infections in the country continue to

rise as more than 4.3 million Americans have been gotten the illness.

The

death figure easily surpasses the country with the next highest deaths, Brazil

with 88,539.

The US reported its first COVID-19 death on

February 29, hitting 50,000 less than two months later on April 23. The country

crossed 100,000 deaths on May 27 and crossed the 150,000 mark today, adding an

additional 50,000 fatalities in 63 days.

The update comes as several states report dismal news

with California’s deaths increasing by 197 today, a new single-day record.

Mixed response to handling the virus has complicated the nation’s response as

some move towards phased reopening while others are tightening restrictions to

stem the spread. Alabama’s governor has called for a return to in-class

instruction for schools even as Rhode Island delays the next phase of its

reopening as governor Gina Raimondo said, the state “cannot move forward” due

to the spread of the coronavirus from parties and other social gatherings.

Global cases of COVID-19 now stand at 16.8 million

with deaths totalling 662,297.