US coronavirus deaths top 800, cases over 55,200

The coronavirus-related deaths in the U.S. topped 800 on Wednesday, while the number of cases reached over 55,200, according to latest figures by Johns Hopkins University.

The figures put the U.S. in the top three countries worldwide with the most infection cases, after Italy and China.

New York City and the northwestern state of Washington-where the country's first case was reported in late January-are the hardest hit with 192 and 128 fatalities, respectively.

In all, 354 people diagnosed with COVID-19 in the U.S. have recovered so far.

Cases have been reported in all 50 states of the U.S., as well as Washington, D.C. and the territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The figures by the university's Coronavirus Resource Center exceed the official tally compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which are updated daily but only for cases reported by 4 p.m. local time (2000GMT) the preceding day.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 170 countries and regions around the globe, claiming nearly 19,000 lives as of Wednesday, while confirmed cases topped 424,000.

People recovering from the pandemic has neared 110,000.