People wearing face masks and shields walk on Times Square in New York, the United States, Aug. 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States surpassed 6.5 million on Sunday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. case count rose to 6,501,904, with the national death toll reaching 193,843 as of 1:26 p.m. local time (1726 GMT), according to the CSSE.

The hardest-hit U.S. state of California reported 759,437 cases. Texas and Florida both recorded more than 660,000 cases, followed by the state of New York with 444,365 cases, the tally showed.

Other states with over 190,000 cases include Georgia, Illinois, Arizona and New Jersey, according to the CSSE.

U.S. COVID-19 cases topped 6 million on Aug. 31, and increased by half a million within two weeks.

By far, the United States remains at the top of the global chart in terms of both the caseload and death toll.