THE U.S. death toll from the coronavirus topped 200,000 Tuesday, by far the highest in the world, hitting the once-unimaginable threshold six weeks before an election that is certain to be a referendum in part on U.S. President Donald Trump’s handling of the crisis.

The number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 67 days.

The bleak milestone was reported by Johns Hopkins, based on figures supplied by state health authorities. But the real toll is thought to be much higher, in part because many COVID-19 deaths were probably ascribed to other causes, especially early on, before widespread testing.

Trump said it was “a shame” the U.S. reached that number but argued the toll could have been much worse.

“I think if we didn’t do it properly and do it right, you’d have 2.5 million deaths,” Trump said. He added that the United States is now “doing well.”

On Twitter, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said, “It didn’t have to be this bad.”

For five months, America has led the world by far in sheer numbers of confirmed infections — nearly 6.9 million as of Tuesday — and deaths. The U.S. has less than 5 percent of the globe’s population but more than 20 percent of the reported deaths.

At a rally in Ohio, Trump once again proved he’s in his own reality when he explained that only older people and people with underlying conditions need to be concerned about the virus.

“It affects elderly people, elderly people with heart problems and other problems. That’s what it really affects. In some states, thousands of people — nobody young,” Trump said. “Below the age of 18, like, nobody. They have a strong immune system, who knows? Take your hat off to the young, because they have a hell of an immune system. But it affects virtually nobody. It’s an amazing thing.”

Data has proven time and time again that no one is an exception — not even young people. Although it is more likely to be fatal to older people, as well as immunocompromised and disabled people, it’s still taken a toll on younger people. Children under 18 currently represent approximately 10 percent of cases in the United States. Over 500,000 children have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the U.S. alone, according to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“These numbers are a chilling reminder of why we need to take this virus seriously,” said American Academy of Pediatrics President Dr. Sally Goza.

(SD-Agencies)