KEY POINTS As expected, COVID-19 cases and deaths in the U.S. keep spiking

Worldometer estimated cases at 4,558 with 85 deaths while saying there were 878 new U.S. cases on Monday alone

Two-week lockdown still "on the table" for entire U.S.

The world war against COVID-19 saw this disease inflict even larger losses on Americans across the country on Monday alone.

The casualty count differs among various sources due to the rapidly changing numbers of daily confirmed cases and deaths, but all agree on total U.S. cases of at least 4,000 as of Monday afternoon. There were some 4,008 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 49 U.S. states as of 3:53 p.m. ET, Monday, according to CNN. At least 70 persons have died. These totals are based on CNN's compilation of data from state and local health agencies and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University reported 4,464 cases and 78 deaths as of 4:32 p.m. ET on Monday. There were 41 U.S. deaths on Friday, meaning the death toll has jumped 90% in three days. The U.S. has the eighth largest number of confirmed cases in the world.

Of total U.S. deaths, 42 are in Washington, 10 in New York, 6 in California, 5 in Florida, 3 in Louisiana, 2 in New Jersey and one each in Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota and Virginia.

Worldometer, an online reference website for real-time global statistics, estimated total U.S. COVID-19 cases at 4,558 with 85 deaths as of Monday, 22:15 GMT. It also estimated 878 new U.S. cases on Monday alone, as well as 17 deaths on this day.

If Worldometer's data is accurate, it means 19% of all U.S. cases were tallied on Monday, indicating a stunning rise in uncovered infections. It will also be the largest single day jump in cases since the first U.S. case was recorded on January 21.

Worldometer reported 182,204 cases worldwide (infected and recovered) and 7,139 deaths. Of the total cases, 96,725 are currently infected patients. Of those currently infected, 6% are in serious condition. COVID-19 currently affects 162 countries and territories around the world and the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japan.

Monday also saw a striking change in tone from president Donald Trump who went from being dismissive of the pandemic to a bearer of bad news. Trump on Monday said the pandemic might last into the summer, perhaps until July or August.

Photo: JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images

The federal government also strongly denied a rumor the entire U.S. will soon be placed under a two-week quarantine. This denial isn't ironclad, however, since Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who crafted the Trump administration's response to the pandemic, had previously asserted all options remain "on the table."

Also on Monday: