The US crossed a somber threshold Friday with a private tally counting over 100,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country as leaders struggle to thwart the virus' spread, Anadolu Agency reported.

A running tally from Johns Hopkins University on Friday found 100,717 confirmed COVID-19 infections across the country, including 1,544 deaths. Over 860 people have recovered, according to the university's data.

The US on Thursday surpassed Italy and China to become the country with the largest number of coronavirus infections. The countries have 86,498 and 81,897 number of cases, respectively.

Worldwide, there are 590,594 confirmed cases and about 27,000 deaths. Nearly 130,000 others recovered from the disease.

President Donald Trump earlier Friday signed a mammoth US$2.2 trillion stimulus package into law as the US seeks to blunt the economic impact of the pandemic.

New York City, the US' financial capital, has become the epicenter of the US outbreak with 366 deaths recorded by Johns Hopkins. In the wider state there are 453, the most of any state in the US.

It is followed by Washington state, where the virus spread early outside of Seattle, with 109 deaths and New Jersey with 82.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 176 countries and territories.

The World Health Organisation has declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic.