Over 200,000 COVID-19 Deaths Reported in the United States

A sign across from a hospital in a neighborhood thanks first responders in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, on Sept. 14, 2020. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Over 200,000 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the United States, according to the John Hopkins University.

This comes as the data reported the United States have nearly hit 6.9 million confirmed cases of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, a novel coronavirus from Wuhan, China.

"The idea of 200,000 deaths is very sobering, and in some respects, stunning," said Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

President Donald Trump also spoke about the 200,000 death toll, saying, “I think it’s a shame."

"I think it’s a shame. I think if we didn’t do it properly and do it right you’d have 2.5 million deaths," he told reporters.

President Donald Trump stops and takes questions from reporters on his way to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, on Sept. 22, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

“It’s a terrible thing. But had we not closed our country down and reopened, and now we’re doing well and reopening the stock markets up, all of those things, but I think it’s a horrible thing,” he added.

The White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx back in March had projected 100,000 to 200,000 deaths as a "best case scenario" in the country amid the CCP virus pandemic.

At the time, she told NBC News that if the country took no action on the CCP virus, the number of COVID-19 deaths could be in the "worst case scenario" range of 1.6-2.2 million. She noted, however, that even "if we do things almost perfectly," there could still be up to 200,000 deaths in the United States.

Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx (R) speaks with US President Donald Trump and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci during a Coronavirus Task Force press briefing in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, on March 29, 2020. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany addressed the COVID-19 grim death toll on Tuesday.

"We grieve when even one life is lost," she told reporters at the White House. "But the fact that we have come nowhere near that number is a testament to this President taking immediate action to shutting down travel from China when the other party, Democrats, were saying that was 'xenophobic;' for shutting down travel for Europe; for developing landmark therapeutics that are working, like remdesivir."

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"And when you look at the fact that excess mortality—Europe has experienced a 28 percent higher excess mortality rate than the United States—it's a testament to the hard work done by the task force and this President," McEnany added.

She pointed out that the disease COVID-19 has a 0.01 percent mortality rate for people under the age of 18, and that there have been no pediatric deaths in some U.S. states.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany holds a press briefing at he White House in Washington, on Sept. 22, 2020. (Saul Poeb/AFP via Getty Images)

"He [President Trump] said this: 'You know, in some states, thousands of people—[and they've had] nobody young. Below the age of 18—like nobody. They have a strong immune system,'" McEnany said, quoting he president.

"And that is factually true," she added. "You can go to the American Academy of Pediatrics website, the Children's Hospital Association, and they list out a number of states that have had zero pediatric deaths."

The American Hospital Association, the American Medial Association, and the American Nurses Association on Tuesday issued a joint statement, calling the 200,000 number a "somber milestone."

"Those lost include mothers and fathers, grandparents, children, teachers, and frontline workers," the statement read. "The steps required to stop the spread of this virus should be well known by now, but with more than 6 million COVID-positive Americans, we say again: wear your mask, wash your hands, and practice physical distancing."

Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this report.

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