Coronavirus cases in US set to pass the 1m mark

US cases of the novel coronavirus were approaching 1 million yesterday, having doubled in 18 days, and made 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 2,000 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 percent of the cases have occurred in New York state, the epicenter of the US outbreak, followed by New Jersey, Massachusetts, California and Pennsylvania.

Globally, coronavirus cases have topped 3 million since the outbreak 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. The United States has about 30 cases per 10,000 people. Spain ranks first at over 48 cases per 10,000, 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 — and just below the 58,220 Americans killed during the Vietnam War that ended in 1975.

The virus has killed more people in the US than the seasonal flu in recent years, except for the 2017-2018 season, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu deaths range from a low of 12,000 in 2011-2012 to a high of 61,000 during 2017-2018.