Coronavirus: US death toll tops 2,000 after doubling in two days

deaths from the virus and 123,012 infections.

American authorities announced the new figures on Saturday, which marked a steep increase in the number of deaths caused by Covid-19.

On Thursday, the death count had stood at just over 1,000.

As in other countries, health care professionals and experts in the US have warned that there are shortages in essential medical equipment such as ventilators.

On Saturday, Trump appeared to do a U-turn after announcing on Twitter that a travel advisory would be issued for the worst-affected areas in the country.

He wrote in a post on Saturday that “a quarantine will not be necessary”.

He had originally considered implementing the measure for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, which are all hotspots for the virus.

Due to extensive transmission in these areas, residents have been urged to refrain from all but essential travel.

Of all the states, New York has the most Covid-19 cases, with more than 52,000 people testing positive for the disease and more than 700 deaths.

As of Saturday evening, around 7,300 people were in hospital in New York, including 1,800 patients in intensive care.

The US has the highest number of cases of any country in the world.