Confirmed cases of COVID-19 soared past 2 million Wednesday, data collected by Johns Hopkins University shows. The figure represents a doubling of confirmed global cases in less than two weeks. Worldwide confirmed cases passed the 1 million threshold on April 2.
For perspective, it took roughly four and a half months for the new coronavirus to hit the 1 million mark. The earliest known case of the disease dates back to Nov. 17, 2019.
The United States surpassed China as the country with the most reported cases of the virus on March 26, though that comes with a caveat: Intelligence officials believe China’s count is unreliable and likely understates the true tally.
Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the United Kingdom have all surpassed China as well, ranking second through sixth in global cases overall, behind the United States. The coronavirus is responsible for at least 128,000 confirmed deaths worldwide.
Of the more than 600,000 confirmed U.S. cases, roughly 20% ― or about 110,000 people ― are in New York City. The city has seen more than 7,600 deaths from the disease, while deaths in the broader United States exceed 26,000.
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