COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. hit new daily high of 1,169: Johns Hopkins

The marquee for the Iowa Theater, closed in response to the coronavirus outbreak, is seen on John Wayne Drive, Wednesday, April 1, 2020. /AP

In just 24 hours, the COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. hit a new daily high of 1,169, taking the total to nearly 6,000, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

According to the CSSE, the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has topped 240,000 as of 6:21 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday (2221 GMT).

The state of New York, as the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, has reported nearly 1,400 deaths, according to the center.

The confirmed coronavirus cases around the world topped one million on Thursday and the number of deaths soared past 50,000.