US coronavirus toll passes 130,000: Johns Hopkins

WASHINGTON: The United States passed another grim coronavirus milestone Monday as the death toll from the virus climbed past 130,000, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The country also posted a worrying number of new daily infections, at 54,999 -- a few thousand shy of the record set just days ago -- and 357 new deaths.

The country has reported a total of 2,931,142 COVID-19 cases and 130,248 deaths, the university reported.

The United States -- the world´s hardest-hit country, both in confirmed cases and deaths -- has experienced a resurgence of the virus since June that has forced several states to suspend their phased economic reopenings.

When the death toll passed the 100,000 mark on May 27, President Donald Trump expressed satisfaction that the number of new infections was declining, even though experts warned of a possible resurgence.

Despite the worsening trend, White House officials say the US economy, which went into a nosedive in March and April due to lockdowns, will not be shut down again.