The US coronavirus death toll has surpassed 2,000, doubling in just 2 days

• The United States' death toll for the novel coronavirus has surpassed 2,000, doubling in just two days.
• As of Saturday evening, there were 122,666 coronavirus cases across the United States and 2,147 deaths.
• New York state has become a hotspot for the virus, with the highest number of cases in any state, and 672 deaths reported as of Saturday.
• Globally, there were 662,073 coronavirus cases and 30,779 deaths.
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More than 2,000 people have died in the United States after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The deaths have more than doubled since Thursday, when American health officials reported 1,000 deaths. Prior to that, roughly one month lapsed between the first reported coronavirus death in the US and the 1,000th.

Meanwhile, doctors and health care workers across the country have warned of dangerous shortages in essential medical equipment such as ventilators, and protective gear such as masks, gowns, gloves, and more.

As of Saturday evening, there were 122,666 coronavirus cases across the United States and 2,147 deaths.

New York state, in particular, has become a hotspot for the virus, with the highest number of cases in any state.

New York was reporting 672 deaths as of Saturday evening. Of those deaths, 527 of the patients had reported underlying health conditions and 479 of them were aged 65 or older.

President Donald Trump mused on Saturday about imposing a quarantine on the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, where the virus has been spreading quickly.

But he backed down Saturday evening, tweeting that the measure would "not be necessary," and saying he would direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a travel advisory instead.

Globally, there were 662,073 coronavirus cases and 30,779 deaths.