The US records its highest daily death toll as almost 20 states ease lockdown restrictions, WHO reports

• The US recorded its deadliest day during the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, according to new data released by the World Health Organization.
• The data shows that on May 1, the country saw a total of 2,909 total coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours.
• The figure comes as about half of US states have started easing their lockdown restrictions and others have announced plans to do so.
• Protesters in dozens of states have continued to demand the reopening of the economy in the last few days.
• WHO data is different from the data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which does not report historical daily coronavirus deaths.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The US suffered its biggest one-day death toll from the coronavirus to date on Friday, as several states are beginning to reopen parts of their economies and ease lockdown measures.

According to data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 1 at 4 a.m. ET, the country recorded 2,909 deaths in 24 hours — its worst number yet.

The previous record was on April 23, when the country saw 2,471 deaths in one day, according to CNBC. At the time of writing, there have been more than 67,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the US.

The new figure comes as around half of US states have already partially eased lockdown restrictions, according to the BBC. Other states, like Florida, have announced they will be lifting stay-at-home orders soon, while several, including Georgia and Texas, have already begun to allow non-essential businesses to reopen.

State officials have been under increasing amounts of pressure, as demonstrations to reopen the economy continue to take place across the country. On Friday, protesters took to the streets in states including California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee, and Washington.

The data published by the WHO is different from that of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It does not report historical daily coronavirus deaths, according to CNBC.

On the same day of the WHO report, the agency reported 2,349 deaths from the virus.

But a spokesperson told CNBC this data might not be complete because of delays in reporting, asymptomatic patients, and limited testing make it harder to track the deaths.

CDC spokeswoman Kate Grusich told CNBC: "CDC does not know the exact number of COVID-19 illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths for a variety of reasons."

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo — whose state is one of the worst-affected in the country —said on Saturday that he needs more information about the spread of the virus before loosening restrictions, Al Jazeera reported.

"Even when you are in uncharted waters, it doesn't mean you proceed blindly," Cuomo said.

"Use the information to determine action — not emotions, not politics, not what people think or feel, but what we know in terms of facts," he added.

• Read more:
• How climate change could make infectious diseases even more difficult to combat in the future
• The coronavirus pandemic could last up to 2 years, according to US experts. They predict we may see a 2nd, larger wave of infections this fall.
• The US government is adding $600 a week to unemployment pay during the pandemic, but it's not tax-free
• Protestors swarm the streets of Huntington Beach as some Californians are growing frustrated with the coronavirus lockdown