(Eagle News) – The United States has more than 104,000 confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 1,600 people dying from the disease, according to a COVID-19 dashboard on global cases of the John Hopkins University.
As of Saturday morning, March 28, Philippine time, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US has reached 104,007 while deaths reached 1,689.
The most number of deaths so far is in New York City with 450 deaths, followed by Washington state with 125 deaths, according to the John Hopkins University virus dashboard.
The US COVID-19 cases are now around 17,500 more than Italy’s 86,498 confirmed cases, and around 22,000 more than China’s 81,897 cases.
There are, however, more deaths in Italy at 9,134, and in China with 3,296 fatalities
According to an Agence France Presse report, the US death rate based on confirmed cases is about 1.5 percent, compared to around 10.5 percent in Italy.
This death rate figure could fall, as greater testing reveals more people who are positive but asymptomatic.
It may also rise if more cities and states find themselves in a similar position to New York which is experiencing a drastic shortage of hospital beds, personal protective equipment and ventilators.
“We’re still seeing a rising number of cases, a rising number of hospitalizations, rising number of intensive care unit admission, a rising number of patients with the mechanical ventilators,” Thomas Tsai, a professor of health policy at Harvard told AFP.
“And unfortunately, the death rate is likely going to follow that pattern. It’s just that it’s going to be days or weeks behind.”
(with an Agence France Presse report)