The coronavirus death toll in the US moved close to 54,000, with 940,000 confirmed cases as of Sunday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The Maryland-based university's running counter showed 53,934 deaths, 939,249 cases, and 105,818 recoveries across the world’s hardest-hit country.

New York is the worst-hit state in the US with 22,009 deaths and 282,143 cases, followed by New Jersey with over 105,500 cases.

The US has the highest number of virus-linked deaths in the world, followed by Italy's 26,384 and 22,902 in Spain.

The virus that first appeared in China late last year has spread to 185 countries and regions.

More than 2.91 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll surpassing 203,500 and recoveries over 828,000.