New York is the epicentre of the U.S. outbreak, with more than 50,000 — or about half — of the country’s total cases.

Deaths from new coronavirus in the United States surged past 2,000 Saturday, doubling in just three days, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

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The number of deaths late Saturday was 2,010, about a quarter of them in New York City, the country's hardest hit region, Johns Hopkins reported. That is fewer than the 10,023 in Italy, Spain’s 5,812, China’s 3,299 or the 2,314 in France, the tally showed.

Confirmed cases in the United States topped 121,000, according to the tally. The United States since Thursday has recorded the world’s highest number of cases. As of Saturday, Johns Hopkins recorded 115,547 cases in the United States. That included a 23% jump of 21,309 in one day, also a record.

New York is the epicentre of the U.S. outbreak, with more than 50,000 — or about half — of the country’s total cases.

President Donald Trump on Saturday said he was considering placing the entire State under quarantine.

New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters he did not think such a move could be legally enforceable and did not know what it would accomplish medically.