As the United States approached 100,000 coronavirus deaths, The New York Times marked the grim milestone with a stark memorial on its front page — one-line obituaries for 1,000 victims.

"The 1,000 people here reflect just one per cent of the toll. None were mere numbers," the newspaper said in a short introduction on the front page, which was entirely covered in text.

The United States has been the hardest-hit country in the coronavirus pandemic by far, in deaths and number of infections.

According to an AFP report, as of Saturday evening, the US had recorded 97,048 deaths and 1.6 million cases of the virus, and will likely reach 100,000 fatalities in a matter of days.