More than 25 million people have been infected with the coronavirus and at least 418,000 people have died in the U.S. since the pandemic began.
The number of cases reported in the U.S. since the pandemic's start surpassed 25 million on Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
According to data through Thursday from the COVID Tracking Project, hospitalizations are still high in the West and the South, with over 80,000 current COVID-19 hospital patients in those regions.
The new milestone, reported Sunday by Johns Hopkins, is a grim reminder of the coronavirus’ wide reach in the U.S., which has seen far more confirmed cases and deaths than any other country in the world.
The U.S. accounts for roughly one of every four cases reported worldwide and one of every five deaths. India has recorded the second most cases, with about 10.7 million.
The number of new cases in the U.S. has shown signs of slowing recently, with an average of 176,000 reported daily in the past week, down from 244,000 in early January. The country’s first case of the infection was diagnosed almost exactly a year ago.
U.S. hospital intensive care units in many parts of the country are straining to handle record numbers of COVID-19 patients.
These hospital units take care of the sickest of the sick. Some are running out of space and supplies, while scrambling to pay the soaring rates of temporary traveling nurses.
Hundreds of ICUs are struggling at the same time, with many clustered in the South and West.
An Associated Press analysis shows that since November, the share of U.S. hospitals nearing the breaking point has doubled.
More than 40% of Americans live in areas running out of ICU beds. Experts say sustained surges can jeopardize the quality of care in ICUs.
