People wave and clap outside the Brooklyn Hospital Center at 7pm to give thanks to essential workers on April 15, 2020 in New York City. (Photo: AFP)

Amid the worsening economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic, another 5.2 million US workers were jobless and seeking unemployment benefits last week, the government reported Thursday.

The data through April 11 indicate the world's largest economy has purged 22 million jobs since mid-March as the measures to contain the virus has forced companies, shops and restaurants to close their doors.