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Worldwide cases of the coronavirus top 3 million

Worldwide cases of the coronavirus top 3 million
Posted at 11:38 AM, Apr 27, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-27 13:38:33-04

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus now exceeds 3 million worldwide, according to a database kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Of those 3 million confirmed cases, there have been more than 200,000 deaths linked to the disease. More than 870,000 are verified to have fully recovered after contracting the disease.

The United States remains the country with both the most number of confirmed cases and the most deaths linked to the disease. The U.S. is nearing 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country alone, and more than 50,000 people have died of the disease.

Currently, U.S. cases represent about a third of all confirmed cases worldwide, and U.S. deaths represent about a quarter of all worldwide deaths.

Other countries with more than 150,000 confirmed cases are Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Johns Hopkins database relies on information about positive tests from local governments, so it has its limits. For instance, it's unclear to know the virus' exact mortality rate, recovery rate and spread without widespread testing, something that many countries — including the U.S. — currently lack. The database also relies on accurate reporting from local governments — and reports indicate that U.S. officials are suspicious that China has not been providing accurate information regarding the spread of COVID-19 in the country.