THE DEATH TOLL FROM THE coronavirus in the U.S. is nearing 31,000 on Thursday after President Donald Trump said the country passed its peak for new cases.

The jump in the death toll, which stood at more than 26,000 Wednesday morning, comes after New York City implemented a new way of counting fatalities. The city is now including probable cases for which officials did not have a positive COVID-19 test but reason to believe it to be the cause of death.

With nearly 7,000 confirmed deaths and just over 4,000 probable deaths, the city reports close to 11,000 fatalities. Not everyone counted in the increase died in the past 24 hours. Other states have similarly revised their numbers upward as they work to get a more accurate count. Connecticut on Wednesday saw its death toll jump when state officials indicated they had begun including people who died in their homes rather than just people who were in hospitals at the time of death.

Inputs ;US News