WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (CGTN) - A top White House official said on Sunday that the U.S. is "in a new phase" of the coronavirus pandemic as the virus has infected more than 4.6 million people in the country.

"What we are seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread. It's into the rural as equal urban areas," White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator Deborah Birx told CNN.

"To everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus," she said.

She also stressed about the issue that related to reopening schools, saying "in the areas where we have this widespread case increase, we need to stop the cases and then we can talk about safely reopening."

Birx urged Americans to follow health recommendations, such as wearing a mask and social distancing.

Still, as the COVID-19 related death toll exceeds 154,000 in the country, President Donald Trump reportedly went on his golf outing over the weekend.

This was Trump's 283rd golfing trip since he become the president of the United States in 2017, according to a count by local media.

As of Sunday evening, the U.S. has reported more than 4.66 million cases of COVID-19, with 154,833 deaths nationwide, according to the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is the only country in the world to have reported more than 100,000 COVID-19 related deaths.