US Now Leads the World in
Confirmed Coronavirus Infections The U.S. surpassed the
dismal benchmark on Thursday. As of Thursday afternoon,
81,321 people in the U.S. are
known to have contracted coronavirus. Even China, where the
virus originated, now has fewer
known cases than the U.S. Scientists have warned that
the virus could take a firm hold in the
U.S. since the beginning of the outbreak in January. Also on Thursday,
the U.S. death toll due to the
virus exceeded 1,000 people. The U.S. has the third-largest
population in the world.
There are 330 million U.S. residents. Analysts have reported
that a worst case scenario death toll
in the U.S. could exceed two million people. More than 160 million Americans
have been ordered to remain home. Medical specialists advise
that once cases begin to plateau,
"then we can begin to smile."