The novel coronavirus has now killed more than 177,000 people worldwide.
3 min read
A global pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 177,000 people worldwide.
Over 2.5 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding the scope of their nations’ outbreaks.
Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the United States has become the worst-affected nation, with more than 825,000 diagnosed cases and at least 45,075 deaths.
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Today’s biggest developments:
- US deaths top 45,000
- California officials find earliest known US fatalities from virus
- How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained
- What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms
- Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map
Here’s how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Please refresh this page for updates
3:30 a.m.: California officials find earliest known US deaths from virus
California officials have confirmed what are now the earliest known deaths from the novel coronavirus outbreak in the United States.
Santa Clara County announced late Tuesday that new autopsy results show two individuals who died at home on Feb. 6 and Feb. 17 were positive for COVID-19. The individuals were not tested for the virus because they died when very limited testing was available only through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a statement from the county in Northern California.
“Testing criteria set by the CDC at the time restricted testing to only individuals with a known travel history and who sought medical care for specific symptoms,” Santa Clara County said in a statement.
The United States previously recorded its first official fatality from COVID-19 on Feb. 28 — an individual in Washington state’s King County.
However, health officials later discovered that two people at a Seattle-area nursing home had also died from the disease on Feb. 26.
