US records 749 coronavirus deaths in last 24 hours, toll reaches 112,096

Over 749 new deaths of the novel coronavirus have been registered in the past 24 hours in the US, bringing the nation’s death toll to 112,096. More than 1.9 million cases have been recorded amid the nationwide protests that witnessed non-adherence to the social distancing measures, according to a real-time tally report. However, at least 751,894 people have recovered from the disease. 

Earlier, at a press conference, president of the United States Donald Trump said that he had saved “2 million lives” and called the coronavirus a “bad gift from China”. Further, Trump administration moved to block Chinese airlines from flying to the US in an escalation of trade and travel tensions between the two countries over the pandemic, as per reports.  Accusing China as responsible for the US death toll, Trump said at the conference, “It's a very sad situation. It should have never happened. China should have stopped it at the source, but they didn't do that.” Not just that, last month, he threatened to "cut off the whole relationship" with China due to the coronavirus response, while China rejected US allegations of a cover-up regarding the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Read: UK PM Boris Johnson Refuses To Pay £270 Mn To EU For Coronavirus Recovery Fund

Read: Russia Records 197 More Coronavirus Deaths, Toll Soars To 5,717

Downplayed disease, under-reported deaths

In a rebuke over the bitter spat between the US and China amid the surging deaths in the United States, Trump reportedly said that he had doubts about why the deadly coronavirus did not spread to other areas of China other than the city of Wuhan in the Hubei province.  As earlier, the president of the United States had also accused Chian of “downplaying the disease and under-reporting the deaths”. Trump further added, while addressing a press conference, “China has taken tremendous advantage of the United States; we helped rebuild China; we gave them $ 500 billion a year. How stupid are the people who represented our country with China and many other countries? But that’s all changing now." 

As of last week, China discharged the last three patients in the Wuhan, Hubei province, where the epicenter of the outbreak when the pandemic hit, as per state media reports. With that, the city had officially become free from the coronavirus, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) announced at a press conference.  

Read: Illinois Reports 72 New Deaths, 975 Cases Of The Coronavirus

Read: Connecticut Reports 17 New Coronavirus Deaths

(With Input and Image from AP)