Coronavirus US map – how many cases have been confirmed in the United States?

THE United States now leads the world in reported coronavirus infections with more than 270,000 cases and over 7,000 deaths.

Dubbed the "angel of death for older people" by one expert, New York is the epicenter of the disease, with fears that Los Angeles could end up just as hard hit.

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Where have coronavirus cases been confirmed in the US?

As of Saturday, April 4th, the US has reported more than 277,000 cases, according to figures updated daily.

A breakdown of the states shows that New York has suffered the biggest death toll so far, with more than 2,935 people losing their lives to the bug.

In Washington, 293 total deaths have been recorded as of Saturday.

New Jersey has recorded 646 coronavirus deaths, Louisiana has had 370 deaths and Michigan is not far behind has had 479.

California has sadly had 285 people die from the disease and Georgia has had 184 deaths.

How is the US tackling the coronavirus?

To tighten border control, the US has extended its European coronavirus travel ban to include the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Despite this move, Dr John Brooks of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Americans remained “in the acceleration phase” of the pandemic.

He added: “There is no geographic part of the United States that is spared from this."

After constructing a temporary morgue, New York plans to build eight temporary hospitals to meet an expected surge in coronavirus patients.

While New York remains the worst hit city in the US, Americans have been bracing for worsening conditions elsewhere.

There are worrying infection numbers being reported in Chicago, Detroit and in New Orleans, which rushed to build a makeshift hospital in its convention center.

The US Food and Drug Administration has cleared a new rapid test from Abbott Laboratories, which the company said could detect the coronavirus in about five minutes.

Medical device maker Abbott announced the emergency clearance of its cartridge-based test on Friday night, saying the test delivers a negative result in 13 minutes when the virus is not detected.

In New York, where there are more than 102,000 cases statewide, the number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 has passed 9,000.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for 4,000 more temporary beds across New York City, where the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center has already been converted into a hospital.

Cuomo warned the virus would make an impact for “weeks and weeks and weeks.

“This is going to be a long day, and it’s going to be a hard day, and it’s going to be an ugly day, and it’s going to be a sad day.”

Friday saw President Donald Trump invoke the Korean War-era Defense Production Act, ordering General Motors to begin manufacturing the breathing machines.

He said he had signed a Presidential Memorandum to require General Motors to accept, perform, and prioritize Federal contracts for ventilators. 

Trump added: "Our negotiations with GM regarding its ability to supply ventilators have been productive, but our fight against the virus is too urgent to allow the give-and-take of the contracting process to continue to run its normal course.

"GM was wasting time. Today’s action will help ensure the quick production of ventilators that will save American lives."

The president has also signed a $2.2 trillion stimulus package, to send checks to millions of Americans, boost unemployment benefits, help businesses and toss a life preserver to an overwhelmed health care system.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the elderly and people with severe medical conditions such as heart, lung or kidney disease to “stay home as much as possible” and avoid crowds.

It urged those people to “take actions to reduce your risk of exposure.”

Dr Peter Hotez, Dean of tropical medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, said: "The coronavirus is like the 'angel of death' for older individuals.”