US deaths from the novel coronavirus topped 25 700 on Tuesday, the biggest single-day increase to date, according to a Reuters tally, as officials debated how to reopen the economy without reigniting the outbreak.
The United States, with the world’s third-largest population, passed a second milestone on Tuesday with over 600 000 reported cases, three times more than any other country.
US deaths rose by a record 2 082 on Tuesday with a few states yet to report.
The previous record was 2 069 new deaths in a day set on April 10.
Health experts had forecast deaths would peak this week and last week but there had been hopes the worst was behind the United States when new deaths reported on Sunday and Monday were about 1 500 per day, far below last week’s running tally of roughly 2 000 deaths every 24 hours, according to a Reuters tally.
Through Monday, deaths have increased by about 7% per day on average compared with 14% last week and 30% many days in March, according to a Reuters tally.
Cases through Monday are up an average of 5% per day compared with 7.8% last week and 30% per day in March.
Sweeping stay-at-home restrictions on 94% of the population to curb the spread of the illness have taken a painful toll on the economy.
The shutdown is costing the US economy perhaps $25 billion a day in lost output, St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said.
