CHICAGO — The US death toll from the coronavirus eclipsed Italy's for the highest in the world Saturday, surpassing 20,000, as Chicago and other cities across the Midwest braced for a potential surge in victims and moved to snuff out smoldering hot spots of contagion before they erupt.

The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in the United States topped 20,000 Saturday afternoon, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

A total of 20,071 people have died of the disease among 519,453 confirmed cases in the country as of 4 pm local time (2000 GMT), the CSSE said.

New York state has recorded the most deaths in the country, 8,627, which is followed by New Jersey and Michigan with 2,183 and 1,276, respectively. A total of 29,507 patients in the country have recovered, according to the CSSE.

With the New York area still deep in crisis, fear mounted over the spread of the scourge into the nation's heartland.