WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Deaths in the United States due to coronavirus has topped 16,600 with more than 466,000 confirmed cases reported nationwide as of Thursday.
Deaths in the U.S. are the second highest in the world. The country had set new daily records on Tuesday and Wednesday with over 1,900 new deaths reported each day. Deaths reported on Thursday are over 1,600 with several states yet to report the latest figures.
Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases in the New York state surpassed all countries except the United States. The state has about 162,000 confirmed cases, surpassing Italy in the number of confirmed cases. On Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said 799 people in New York died from coronavirus in 24-hour period, bringing the state's total to 7,067.
Meanwhile, the New York governor has signed an order to bring in additional funeral directors from other states to practice in New York.
The U.S. officials have warned Americans to expect alarming numbers of coronavirus deaths this week.
Meanwhile, the U.S. FDA has relaxed the rules regarding the use of medical gas containers in order to help increase number of portable cryogenic oxygen and nitrogen containers available for hospitals in the fight against COVID-19.
The pandemic has made strong impact on the U.S. economy with over 16 million workers seeking jobless aid in just three weeks. Last week, 6.6 million new claims were made, beating the 6 million claims made in the previous week, and the 3 million claims the week before.
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