US endures worst one-day death toll yet as states reopen: WHO

The U.S. saw its largest one-day death toll from the coronavirus pandemic to date on Thursday as several states began to reopen parts of their economies, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO reported that 2,909 people in the U.S. died on Thursday, shattering the previous record of 2,471 deaths reported on April 23, CNBC reported. 

The grim news comes as Americans grow weary of the stay-at-home measures that have shuttered businesses and put millions of people out of work. State leaders around the country continued to see protests from demonstrators who want to reopen the economy and return to their jobs. Demonstrations took place in California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee and Washington on Friday.

Many demonstrators believe stay-at-home orders are impinging on their constitutional rights and freedoms. 

However, some states, such as Texas, Georgia and South Carolina, have already opened up select businesses. Other states have rolled out guidelines detailing how and when their economies can reopen.

Data compiled by the WHO is different from data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as the CDC hasn’t historically reported daily deaths from the pandemic. The agency’s website says 2,349 people in the country died from the virus on May 1.

CDC spokeswoman Kate Grusich told CNBC that the agency’s data is “validated through a confirmation process with jurisdictions.” 

“CDC does not know the exact number of COVID-19 illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths for a variety of reasons,” the government agency said, according to the network. The CDC has also noted it might not have a more accurate death toll until December 2021.

As of Saturday night, the U.S. has more than 1.2 million cases of the coronavirus and more than 66,000 deaths from it, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.