Coronavirus-related deaths in United States surpass 31,000

The death toll in the U.S. from the novel coronavirus exceeded the 31,000 mark on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The university's running tally counted 31,002 deaths and 640,014 cases.

The U.S. continues to lead the world in the number of coronavirus infections and deaths, followed by Italy and Spain in both tallies.

The Italy has the second-highest death toll with more than 21,600, while Spain has the second-highest confirmed cases with nearly 183,000.

More than 52,700 people have recovered in the U.S., according to the data.

New York is the state worst-hit by the pandemic, with 14.073 deaths and more than 214,800 cases, followed by New Jersey with 3,156 deaths and 71,030 cases.

The bulk of the new deaths came a day after President Donald Trump said the country has passed its peak on new coronavirus cases.

Trump also said during a White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing that new guidelines would be announced Thursday afternoon to reopen the country.

Since the virus emerged last December in the Chinese city of Wuhan, it has spread to at least 185 countries and regions.

There are more than 2 million confirmed infections globally and nearly 139,500 deaths, while 528,300 have recovered.