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 has had 2,888,729 COVID-19 cases and 130,007 deaths as of midday in Washington, the university reported.

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

On Saturday, the number of new daily infections hit a record 57,683.

When the death toll passed the 100,000 mark 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.

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© 2020 AFP