U.S. coronavirus death toll now greater than that of Vietnam War

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 27 : A funeral worker is assisted moving a deceased patient into a van at the Brooklyn Hospital Center on April 27, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Brooklyn Hospital Center has been part of the pandemic’s epicenter in New York City. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

by: Nexstar Media Wire

Posted: Apr 28, 2020 / 07:12 PM CDT

Updated: Apr 28, 2020 / 07:12 PM CDT

(NEXSTAR) – The number of Americans who died from COVID-19 is now higher than the death toll of U.S. soldiers killed in the Vietnam War.

By late Tuesday afternoon, Johns Hopkins data showed U.S. coronavirus deaths to be 58,343. The bloody conflict in Vietnam, which spanned two decades, killed 58,220 Americans, according to statistics from the National Archives.

Coronavirus cases in the United States surpassed 1 million Tuesday, more than four times the number in Spain, the country with the second-most.

The dark milestone comes as some U.S. states prepare to lift shelter at home orders and reopen certain businesses.