US: NY sees largest single-day spike in COVID-19 deaths

WASHINGTON

The U.S. state of New York recorded its largest single-day spike in coronavirus deaths, said Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday.

The death toll jumped 731 to 5,489, the "largest single day increase," Cuomo said during a daily briefing.

"Behind everyone of those numbers is an individual, is a family, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers. So a lot of pain again today for many New Yorkers," said the governor.

"They are in our thoughts and prayers."

There are 138,836 confirmed cases in the state, a more than 8,000 increase from the previous day.

New York is the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, with densely-populated New York City being particularly hard-hit. It comprises more than half of the state's infections.

The city has seen more than 72,000 confirmed infections and 3,485 deaths, according to a study being conducted by Baltimore, Maryland-based Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. leads all countries worldwide for the number of infections with Johns Hopkins data counting 378,200 confirmed cases.

The novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, has spread to over 184 countries and regions since it first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December.

More than 78,200 have died and nearly 1.4 million are infected worldwide.