US Surpasses China as Country with Most COVID-19 Cases Worldwide (Summary)

Surge from 74 to 83,507 Cases Early This Month
Spread Intensifies, but Trump Says "America Must Work"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the United States has surpassed 80,000, overtaking China, the origin of the outbreak.

According to COVID-19 statistics from Johns Hopkins University in the U.S. on the 26th (local time), the number of confirmed cases in the U.S. reached 83,507, an increase of nearly 18,000 from the previous day. This exceeds China's confirmed cases of 81,285. The cumulative death toll also rose to 1,201.

At the beginning of this month, the cumulative confirmed cases in the U.S. were only 74. However, after surpassing 10,000 on the 19th, the number rapidly increased, breaking the 80,000 mark within seven days.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The rapid surge in confirmed cases over a short period has led to growing criticism within the U.S. of the Trump administration's lax virus response measures. The New York Times (NYT) criticized the cause of the rapid spread in the U.S., citing the massive population of 330 million and the Trump administration's failure to take the risks of COVID-19 seriously after the first confirmed case.

Since President Trump declared a national emergency related to COVID-19 on the 13th, lockdown measures have been imposed on 175 million residents across 17 states. Despite the worsening situation, President Trump has persistently argued for lifting these lockdowns. According to Bloomberg News, at a COVID-19 task force briefing held at the White House that day, President Trump stated, "America must work," and announced plans to divide the entire U.S. into high-risk, medium-risk, and low-risk COVID-19 zones and quickly resume economic activities in low-risk areas.

COVID-19 is also raging in Europe alongside the U.S., pushing the global cumulative confirmed cases beyond 500,000 and deaths over 20,000. Johns Hopkins University reported that as of that day, the worldwide confirmed cases totaled 511,08, and deaths reached 22,993.