Covid-19: Global tally reaches 2.8 million; US death toll surpasses 51,000

The US states of Georgia and Oklahoma have reopened with a green light from their Republican governors, who have eased their lockdown orders despite health experts' warnings

The number of deaths in the US on account of Covid-19 has surpassed the 51,000 mark, with the total count of positive cases exceeding 890,000, according to Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center data.

The country now has registered 51,017 fatalities and 890,524 cases overall, according to the data updated on Friday (local time), leading the world in the number of reported Covid-19 deaths and confirmed cases. There are almost 2.8 million Covid-19 cases worldwide and close to 196,000 deaths, according to the data.

Even as the cases rose past 51,000, salons, spas and barbershops have reopened in the US