As grim news of the coronavirus batters Americans every day, a sobering figure came to light on Tuesday: The U.S. has more than 1 million cases of COVID-19.
The horrific milestone was confirmed by data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The sum reached 1,004,908 Tuesday afternoon.
That figure represents about 33% of the total number of cases around the world.
The total tally in the U.S., including more than 57,000 deaths, is believed by many experts to be an underestimation because of testing shortages and the unknown number of asymptomatic people.
Antibody testing is being conducted in many of the cities and states that have been hardest hit by coronavirus.
So far, about 15% of the 7,500 people who have been tested in New York State’s antibody study have tested positive, Gov. Cuomo said.
However, recovering after having been previously diagnosed with coronavirus does not guarantee immunity, according to experts.
The U.S. has both of the most confirmed cases and most reported deaths.
The tragic total comes as several states prepare to lift lockdown restrictions, even as new models project higher death tolls and infections if states stop social distancing and isolating too soon, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“State-level forecasts vary widely, reflecting differences in early epidemic phases, timing of interventions and model-specific assumptions,” the CDC said.
According to the new models, death rates will “slow substantially over the next four weeks” if contact reduction is maintained.
“Conversely, models that do not incorporate as strong contact reductions … suggest that total deaths may continue to rise quickly,” the CDC said.
One model, from the University of Washington, is now predicting that at least 74,000 Americans could die by August. The model was adjusted after peaks in some states occurred longer than expected.
Source nydailynews.com