
The rate of coronavirus deaths in the United States has slowed to 2,113 in the past 24 hours, with the total number of people killed standing at 52,422 Friday evening.

An additional 2,416 deaths had been confirmed in the US on Thursday. That daily death toll peaked at 2,524 deaths in a single day on April 15.

Confirmed cases in the nation are creeping towards the one million mark with 927,360 recorded as infected Friday, a record jump of 36,008 in 24 hours.

The previous record daily rise in coronavirus cases was on April 10 when the number jumped by 35,579. It had jumped closed to that Thursday with 34,828 additional infections in 24 hours.

The rate of coronavirus deaths in the United States has slowed to 2,113 in the past 24 hours, with the total number of people killed standing at 52,422 Friday evening. An additional 2,416 deaths had been confirmed in the US on Thursday

Confirmed cases are creeping towards the one million mark with 927,360 recorded as infected Friday, a record jump of 36,008 in 24 hours. The previous record daily rise in coronavirus cases was on April 10 when the number jumped by 35,579

The US has both the highest number of confirmed cases and the highest death toll in the world - double the number of fatalities in Spain and Italy.

By comparison, Italy has recorded 25, 969 deaths and Spain has 22,524 fatalities as of Friday evening. New York state along has 16,000 deaths.

A predictive model relied on by the White House this week increased its projection of expected deaths in the US by August by 10 per cent to 66,000.

The University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation now expects the national death toll to hit 65,976 by August - 5,561 more than previously forecast.

But despite the rising death toll thousands of Californians still flocked to open beaches during a heatwave Friday despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's pleas for them to stay home.

The nation's most populous state recorded its deadliest day yet in the pandemic, with 115 fatalities in the 24 hours from Wednesday to Thursday. As of Thursday there were more than 40,000 confirmed cases in the state; the death toll stands at 1,597.

But Californians locked down for weeks during the coronavirus pandemic came back to local beaches as the weather warmed, prompting Gov. Newsom on Friday to plead for social distancing during the continued heat wave expected this weekend.

Newsom tweeted Friday: 'It’s going to be nice outside this weekend. You might be feeling cooped up. Ready for life to go back to “normal.” But can’t stress this enough: CA can only keep flattening the curve if we stay home and practice physical distancing. You have the power to literally save lives.'

California has been under a mandatory stay-at-home order since March 19.

Pictures taken in Huntington Beach, an Orange County city, on Friday show crowds gathering to enjoy as the state roasted in a spring heat wave. Dozens of locations reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher well before noon, the National Weather Service said, and officials are bracing for even larger crowds this weekend.

Lifeguards at Huntington Beach's main stretch of shoreline counted about 9,000 people on the sand and in the water on Thursday, according to local CBS television affiliate KCBS.

Up to 40,000 people are said to have headed to Newport beach Friday.

Many of those pictured Friday did not appear to be keeping six feet apart in line with social distancing guidelines and few were in face coverings.

The US has both the highest number of confirmed cases and the highest death toll in the world

Confirmed cases in the nation are creeping towards the one million mark with 927,360 recorded Friday

The anti lockdown sentiment continued in Wisconsin and South Carolina.

One of the country's largest anti-lockdown protest was held Friday as thousands swarmed Wisconsin State Capitol and residents in South Carolina held a mobile protest at the Statehouse.

These latest anti-quarantine protests come as some governors begin to relax stay-at-home orders in states like Texas and Georgia - despite fears of a second wave.

A massive crowd of protesters gathered to protest stay-at-home orders enforced by Gov. Tony Evers amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Madison.

They took a particular grievance with Gov. Evers recent extension of Wisconsin's stay-at-home orders, which have been continued through May 26.

And Georgia became one of the first states to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions, as Governor Brian Kemp cast CDC cautions and even President Trump’s criticism aside to allow some non-essential businesses to re-open.

But while anti-lockdown protests have gathered momentum nationwide, the scenes in Georgia Friday were far from the enthusiastic uptake for which Kemp must have hoped.

Instead many stores remained shuttered and business owners and employees who spoke with DailyMail.com today told of their confusion, conflict and fear that this was a move made too soon.

California recorded its deadliest day yet in the pandemic, with 115 fatalities in the 24 hours from Wednesday to Thursday. As of Thursday there were more than 40,000 confirmed cases in the state; the death toll stands at more than 1,600

Hair stylist Deborah Adams in the throes of preparing her salon for clients said, ‘Trust me I am dying to get back to work but I don’t want to die. It’s just not a good idea right now. There is still a stay in place order, and you have to stay six-feet away from people, yet I am supposed to cut hair and put my hands-on people.’

The Georgia easing is targeted at businesses including fitness centers, bowling alleys, body art studios, hairdressers, nail salons and massage therapists.

Critics have questioned how it is possible for any sort of meaningful coronavirus prevention measures to be instigated at businesses that are, by their nature, up close and personal.

President Trump this week claimed he ‘wasn’t happy with Brian Kemp,’ though Kemp’s own advisors have since stated that both the president and Vice President Mike Pence were privately supportive of the plans to reopen.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms revealed on Monday that she had been blindsided by the Governor’s announcement. She said was ‘perplexed’ and ‘upset’ and stated, ‘There is nothing about this that makes any sense.’

People assembled on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Capitol during a Reopen Wisconsin rally in Madison Friday

One of the country's largest anti-lockdown protest was held Friday as thousands swarmed Wisconsin State Capitol

Georgia became one of the first states to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions, as Governor Brian Kemp cast CDC cautions and even President Trump’s criticism aside to allow some non-essential businesses to re-open. The bowling alley will not be reopening - despite the loosening of rules around non-essential businesses

Despite the rising number of deaths and confirmed cases, some states are still looking at easing lockdowns in a bid to kick start the economy again.

It comes as health experts and some governors in parts of the country have warned that a premature easing of restrictions on movement could trigger a surge in new cases.

Alaska has become the latest US state to partially reopen by easing lockdown restrictions on businesses from today - despite Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy acknowledging there will be more coronavirus deaths.

Tennessee has also outlined its plan for reopening from April 27 and Montana committed to kickstarting the economy by May 4.

The states join Oklahoma, Colorado, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas in announcing partial reopenings amid the pandemic.

A recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic and a government spending spree on testing, health care and aid to businesses and households will nearly quadruple the federal budget deficit to $3.7 trillion, the Congressional Budget Office said Friday.

Among the legacies of the outbreak, a CBO report says, is a pile of trillions of dollars of debt, amassed by a political system that has proved incapable of taking even small steps to constrain this problem.

The 2020 budget deficit will explode after four coronavirus response bills passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump promise to pile more than $2 trillion onto the $24.6 trillion national debt in just the remaining six months of the current fiscal year, according to the report.

That's more than double the deficit record set during President Barack Obama's first year in office.