NEW YORK -- The total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States surpassed 5.6 million on Friday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

The national case count rose to 5,607,993, with the death toll in the country reaching 174,924 as of 3:27 p.m. local time (1927 GMT), according to the CSSE.

The hardest-hit U.S. state of California reported 655,374 cases, followed by Florida with 593,286 cases, Texas with 580,448 cases, and New York with 428,512 cases, the tally showed.

Other states with over 180,000 cases include Georgia, Illinois, Arizona and New Jersey, according to the CSSE.

By far, the United States remains the worst-hit nation, with the highest caseload and death toll around the world.