The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States have surpassed the 4 million mark, just two weeks after the country hit the 3 million mark.

Data from the Johns Hopkins University showed that the U.S. had reported 4,057,100 infections by Friday afternoon, with 144,524 deaths.

The country remains the worst affected by the global pandemic, accounting for 26 percent of the total infections worldwide and 27.8 percent of the total fatalities.

The grim milestone comes as President Donald Trump is pushing to have the country's schools reopen in the fall.

Trump on Thursday urged schools to reopen with adherence to good hygiene and social distancing.

The White House is asking Congress to pledge 105 billion U.S. dollars to schools as part of next COVID-19 stimulus bill, he said.

The Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal funding from schools that do not comply.