Coronavirus: United States hits one million virus cases as states begin lifting lockdown measures
The number of coronavirus cases in the United States has reached one million – putting it around five times ahead of the next hardest-hit countries.
US coronavirus cases have hit one million after doubling in 18 days, and make up one-third of all infections in the world, according to a Reuters tally.
More than 56,000 Americans have died of the highly contagious respiratory illness COVID-19 caused by the virus, an average of about 2000 a day this month, according to the tally.
The actual number of cases is thought to be higher, with state public health officials cautioning that shortages of trained workers and materials have limited testing capacity.
About 30 per cent of the cases have occurred in New York State, the epicentre of the US outbreak, followed by New Jersey, Massachusetts, California and Pennsylvania.
The rate of infections has increased dramatically. It took 80 days for the US to reach 500,000 cases. It took just 18 days to go from 500,000 to one million.
RELATED: Follow the latest coronavirus updates
RELATED: Tensions explode in the US over lockdown restrictions
Reported US coronavirus cases:
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) April 28, 2020
0 to 500,000 cases: 80 days
500,000 to 1 million cases: 18 days
Globally, coronavirus cases have topped three million since the outbreak began in China late last year. The United States, with the world’s third-largest population, has five times as many cases as the next hardest-hit countries of Italy, Spain and France.
Of the top 20 most severely affected countries, the United States ranks fifth based on cases per capita, according to a Reuters tally. The United States has about 30 cases per 10,000 people. Spain ranks first at over 48 cases per 10,000 people, followed by Belgium, Switzerland and Italy.
US coronavirus deaths, the highest in the world, now exceed the total number of Americans killed in the 1950-53 Korean War – 36,516. Coronavirus deaths total just below the 58,220 Americans killed during the Vietnam War that ended in 1975.
RELATED: Lockdown protester tests positive for coronavirus
RELATED: Trump takes no responsibility after spike in disinfectant calls
The coronavirus has killed more people in the United States than the seasonal flu in recent years, except for the 2017-2018 season, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Flu deaths range from a low of 12,000 in the 2011-2012 season to a high of 61,000 during 2017-2018.
Coronavirus deaths in the United States fall far short of the Spanish flu, which began in 1918 and killed 675,000 Americans, according to the CDC. Unprecedented stay-at-home orders to try to kerb the spread of the virus have hammered the economy, with the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits over the last five weeks soaring to 26.5 million.
About a dozen states are beginning to relax the stay-at-home restrictions despite the warning of health experts that premature actions could cause a surge in new cases.
A Reuters/Ipsos survey this month found that a bipartisan majority of Americans want go on sheltering in place to protect themselves from the coronavirus, despite the impact on the economy.
Covid origin revealed after bombshell probe
A two-year investigation into the Covid outbreak has revealed where the virus most likely came from.
AstraZeneca vaccine withdrawn globally
AstraZeneca’s Vaxzevria Covid vaccine has been withdrawn globally, a year after it was discontinued in Australia.
Covid question nobody can answer
What was once considered a conspiracy theory has now been floated as a “more probable” answer to the million-dollar Covid question.