COVID-19

U.S. surpasses China in cases of coronavirus

An empty mall
A pedestrian passes through a sparsely populated retail hub at the World Financial Center on March 16, 2020, in New York.
John Minchillo | AP file

The number of people in the U.S. with the coronavirus has surpassed the number of cases being reported by China.

According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. had 82,404 cases as of 6 p.m. ET Thursday, while China had reported about 81,800 cases. In China, where the epidemic started in December, almost 3,300 people have died, while in the U.S., the toll stands at about 1,200. In Italy, there have been about 8,200 deaths.

The number of cases being detected in the U.S. has risen rapidly as more tests for the coronavirus have become available. But in many areas, people report long waits for a test, and many hospitals and health departments say there is a shortage of supplies for conducting the tests.

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