Global coronavirus death toll clears 150,000

Workers bury bodies in the Bronx this month.(John Minchillo/AP)

The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus outbreak has cleared 150,000, with the U.S. accounting for almost a quarter of the recorded global fatalities, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

More than 36,000 people have died after contracting the virus in the U.S., according to the figures. The global death tally stood at 153,822 on Friday evening.

The virus originated in the sprawling central Chinese metropolis of Wuhan last year, and while the outbreak has subsided there, authorities bumped the city’s official death count by 50% this week.

The country has faced accusations of fudging its data. China’s recorded death count is below 5,000 — a fraction of figures in America and hard-hit European countries.

Italy’s death toll has eclipsed 22,000, Spain’s has climbed above 20,000 and France’s has topped 18,000, according to Johns Hopkins.