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US Surpasses Italy For Most Officially Reported Coronavirus Deaths

(Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Anders Hagstrom White House Correspondent
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The United States overtook Italy to become the country with the most officially reported coronavirus deaths, according to data released Saturday.

The U.S. updated its death toll to 20,042 Saturday, eclipsing Italy’s 19,468, according to the Washington Post. It should be noted that China’s official number of less than 4,000 has been widely discredited. Recent reports out of Wuhan suggest that city alone may have suffered roughly 40,000 deaths. (RELATED: Pelosi Says Senate Coronavirus Bill Is Discriminatory To Residents In DC, One Day Before House Vote)

An elderly person with an undisclosed illness arrives on a stretcher, and is admitted to NYU Langone Health Center hospital on March 23, 2020 in New York City. - Anxiety ratcheted up across New York, the epicenter of America's coronavirus pandemic, Monday with streets eerily quiet at the start of the working week as officials warn the crisis will worsen.As the number of deaths in the United States from COVID-19 soars towards 500, the Big Apple finds itself at Ground Zero in the fight to stem the fast-breaking outbreak. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

An elderly person with an undisclosed illness arrives on a stretcher, and is admitted to NYU Langone Health Center hospital on March 23, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. had long been expected to overtake Italy. The news comes as Republicans and Democrats in Congress spar over a phase four stimulus package for Americans workers and small businesses. (RELATED: Mitch McConnell Restructures Campaign Into Meals Effort For Kentuckians Affected By Coronavirus)

President Donald Trump signed a $2 trillion phase three package in March that afforded $1,200 checks to those making less than $75,000 annually. Many fear that grant won’t be enough after the administration extended distancing guidelines until at least the end of April.