Number of Covid-19 cases surpasses 5 million worldwide – Johns Hopkins University

The number of people worldwide who have tested positive for coronavirus has passed 5 million, according to a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University. Globally, there have been over 328,000 Covid-19 related deaths.

The widely-cited dashboard said that confirmed cases reached 5,000,038 on Thursday.

Although believed to have started in Wuhan, China, the virus spread westward, with the United States becoming the new epicenter of the health crisis. With more than 1.5 million infections, the US currently has the highest number of confirmed cases.

Russia has the second-highest number of cases, at over 308,000.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday that they had registered as many as 106,000 new Covid-19 cases worldwide, marking the largest single-day increase in infections. However, the increase may be attributed to more wide-scale testing.

Countries around the world have started to ease lockdown measures put in place to stop the spread of the virus, even as health officials warn that a “second wave” could hit in the coming months.

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