Washington: The US recorded 518 new coronavirus-linked deaths in the span of 24 hours, according to data published Sunday by Johns Hopkins University.

The record toll, higher than the previous day's increase of 453, brings the country's total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic to 2,409.

The number of cases shot up 21,333 in one day, the data showed.That is about the same as Saturday's increase of 21,309 but the numbers are counted in real time by Johns Hopkins and should be taken with caution.

With 136,880 total cases, the US has the highest number in the world, ahead of Italy, China and Spain.

New York state, which has become the epicentre of the pandemic in the US, is by far the hardest-hit region, with nearly 60,000 cases and 965 deaths, according to a statement released Sunday by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Senior US scientist Anthony Fauci, an infectious disease expert and an advisor to President Donald Trump during the crisis, cautiously predicted Sunday that the novel coronavirus could claim between 100,000 and 200,000 lives in the United States. 

 

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Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.

The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.

"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.

Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.

He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.

Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.

The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.

Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.

He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.