US coronavirus deaths top 23,000, cases over 572,000

ANKARA

Over 23,000 people in the U.S. have died from the novel coronavirus, according to the data of Johns Hopkins University on Monday.

The running tally counted 23,070 fatalities and 572,169 confirmed infections, while 42,324 people have recovered from the disease.

The U.S. is the country with the highest number of cases and deaths worldwide, followed by Italy and Spain in both tallies.

The state of New York has the highest number of deaths with a tally surpassing the 10,000 mark.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday the country would record fewer deaths compared to the 100,000 that was previously projected.

"The minimum number was 100,000 lives, and I think we’ll be substantially under that number," Trump told reporters at the White House.

"Hard to believe that if you had 60,000, you could never be happy, but that's a lot fewer than we were originally thinking.

"We're seeing clear signs that our aggressive strategy is saving countless lives," he added.

Overall, the virus has spread to 185 countries, infecting more than 1.9 million since it first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

The global death toll is nearly 118,500, while over 446,000 patients have recovered.