The coronavirus task force projected in early April that the number of deaths due to COVID-19 would total 60,000, a vast improvement from original projections that as many as 200,000 would die, even if the country aggressively followed social distancing guidelines. Now, though, the number of deaths has surpassed 50,300 and will likely hit 60,000 by the first week of May…

As of 5 p.m. Friday, 50,890 people had died in the United States from the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University data, compared to about 35,790 on Monday and 30,290 on Thursday. The number of new deaths reported each day in the U.S. has hovered around 2,000, which only takes into consideration those deaths confirmed to be due to COVID-19.