US now has 1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus

The United States topped 1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus Tuesday – nearly a third of the world's cases – as health authorities here and around the globe try to understand the full scope of who is at risk and who have been infected.

Reaching seven figures – 1,002,498 to be exact – is the latest milestone for the U.S., which has topped 57,000 deaths during the pandemic, according to the Johns Hopkins University dashboard. That's a number approaching the 58,220 Americans killed in the Vietnam War from 1955 to 1975.

And despite warnings from national health leaders that the country could face a second wave of the virus in late 2020, states and cities are drafting or implementing plans to get people out of their homes and back into mainstream life.

It's all happened in about three months. The country's first case was confirmed Jan. 21, and much of what we know about the virus is still subject to study and debate.

There are now six new symptoms the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention caution could be signs of the coronavirus: chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and a loss of taste or smell.

Shortness of breath was tweaked to "shortness of breath or difficulty breathing" by the CDC, which recommends seeking "medical attention immediately" for trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure on chest, bluish lips or face, or a new confusion or inability to awaken.

The daily spike in new cases had slowed in recent weeks, but April 24 saw a daily  high for the U.S. with 36,200 cases reported.

 

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