The US state of California has surpassed 40,000 coronavirus deaths as its steepest surge of cases begins to taper.

The tally by Johns Hopkins University shows the state passed the milestone on Saturday with 40,240 deaths. Deaths are surging at a record pace after recent declines in cases and hospitalisations.

It took six months for California to record its first 10,000 deaths, then four months to double to 20,000.In just five weeks, the state reached 30,000 and needed only 20 days to get to 40,000, according to AP.

New York leads the US with more than 43,000 confirmed deaths, followed by California, Texas at 36,000 and Florida at 26,000.