More Americans have now died of Covid-19 than died in Vietnam War

[Tek]

The number of US deaths linked to Covid-19 has surpassed the toll of Americans killed in the Vietnam War, according to a tracker from the Johns Hopkins University.

The pandemic has killed 58,365 people in the United States, the Baltimore-based university said. According to the National Archives, 58,220 Americans were killed in combat and from other causes such as accidents during years of war in Southeast Asia.

Despite the rising death toll, some states have eased restrictions in the face of an economy battered by the pandemic.

With US President Donald Trump's economic adviser forecasting an unemployment rate of more than 16% for April and many Americans chafing under stay-at-home orders, about a dozen states were moving to restart their economies despite a lack of large-scale virus testing.

Public health experts have warned that a premature rollback of social-distancing policies could cause a surge in new infections.

US Covid-19 death toll surpasses that of Vietnam War

The number of US deaths linked to Covid-19 has surpassed the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam War, according to a tracker from the Johns Hopkins University.

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