The total number of deaths of COVID-19 in the United States topped 30,000 as of 11:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday (0330 GMT on Thursday), according to the data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.
A total of 683,111 cases have been reported with 30,844 deaths in the country so far, according to the CSSE tally, which shows a rise of 2,494 in death toll over the past 24 hours.
The state of New York reported 14,064 deaths, the most in the country. Among other hard-hit states, New Jersey reported 3,156 fatalities, Michigan recorded 1,921 deaths, and Massachusetts reported 1,108 deaths, according to the CSSE data.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that he will require all people in the state to wear face coverings in public when people cannot keep six feet away from each other.
"I am issuing an Executive Order today that all people must wear a mask or face covering in public in situations where social distancing is not possible," said the governor on Twitter.
For example, if a person is riding on public transit where it is impossible to maintain social distancing, or walking on a busy sidewalk, "you must wear a face covering like a bandana or a mask," he said.
Globally, the United States now has the highest COVID-19 death toll. Spain has reported 18,812 deaths and Italy 21,645, according to the data.
Across the United States, 52,640 patients have recovered from COVID-19 to date. Enditem
