NEW YORK - Global COVID-19 deaths reached 1.6 million on Saturday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

The global death toll rose to 1,600,807, with a total of more than 71.4 million cases worldwide as of 1:26 pm (1826 GMT), the CSSE data showed.

The United States remains the worst-hit nation, with 15,939,022 cases and 296,656 deaths, accounting for more than 18 percent of the global death toll.

Brazil recorded 180,437 deaths, just shy of the US death toll. India has the world's third largest fatalities of 142,628 and the second largest caseload of more than 9.8 million.

Countries with over 50,000 fatalities also include Mexico, Britain, Italy, France and Iran.

Global COVID-19 deaths reached the grim milestone of 1 million on Sept 28, and have since then increased at a quicker pace than before.

An updated model forecast by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington projected a total of 502,256 COVID-19 deaths in the United States by April 1, 2021, based on current projection scenario.