United States passes 100,000 coronavirus deaths

The United States surpassed 100,000 confirmed deaths on May 27, 2020 - defying President Donald Trump’s predictions a month earlier it faced about 60,000 to 70,000 dead.

Trump, who has weathered heavy criticism for his response to the pandemic, insisted the toll could have been 25 times higher without his action. He has played down the possibility of a second wave later this year when he faces re-election.The US president has pushed aggressively to get the country's economy back to normal as quickly as possible, defying warnings from US government experts about reopening too quickly.

America’s daily death toll

The US recorded the most deaths in April and there has been some decline in the daily toll since then. The biggest single day death toll was 2,746 on May 7, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

The Covid toll compared to war dead

The first coronavirus-related death in the US was recorded on February 26. Three months later the growing casualty list exceeded American deaths from the Vietnam and Korean wars combined.

Note: War figures include American military deaths in battle, and in-theatre deaths as available.

Mortality rates of the top 10 countries

As of May 27, 2020

If New York was a graveyard

If Central Park in Manhattan was a graveyard, this is how much space would be needed for the world’s coronavirus dead, buried side-by-side.