The death toll of COVID-19 patients in the US rose by more than 2,000 for the fourth day in a row.

The US reached the grim milestones as some states announced timetables for lifting restrictions aimed at blunting the pandemic, P.M. News reported.

Total deaths in California topped 1,000 on Friday.

It was the eighth state to reach that milestone and the first on the West Coast, according to a Reuters tally.

The number of new cases reported has accelerated in the past three days, with 31,425 cases reported on Thursday.

A record increase of 35,715 new cases was reported on April 10.

The infections and fatalities are spread unevenly across the country.

More densely populated places such as New York account for nearly half the total US deaths. The death toll was 14,636 on Friday.

The state also accounts for about a third of confirmed cases, reporting 222,284 cases.

Sweeping stay-at-home orders in 42 states to combat the new coronavirus have shuttered businesses, disrupted lives and decimated the economy.

Some protesters in states such as Michigan have taken to the streets to urge governors to rethink the restrictions.

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