WASHINGTON MAY 29 — The coronavirus crisis threw at least 2.1 million Americans out of work last week despite the gradual reopening of businesses around the country, stoking fears Thursday that the scourge is doing deep and potentially long-lasting damage to the U.S. economy.
The latest job-loss figures from the U.S. Labor Department bring to 41 million the running total of Americans who have filed for unemployment benefits since the coronavirus shutdowns took hold in mid-March.
Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 5.8 million people and killed about 360,000, with the U.S. having the most confirmed cases and deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
