The coronavirus crisis marked its darkest day on Wednesday as the number of Americans who have succumbed to COVID-19 tops 1,000.

There are now over 69,000 cases in the US, with the death toll reaching close to 1,050 as of Thursday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Over one-quarter of those deaths are in New York City, which has become the epicenter of the pandemic in the country.

In an effort to aid those impacted by the outbreak, Congress passed a $2 trillion spending bill that will send direct payments to Americans.