US Now Leads the World in <br />Confirmed Coronavirus Infections The U.S. surpassed the <br />dismal benchmark on Thursday. As of Thursday afternoon, <br />81,321 people in the U.S. are <br />known to have contracted coronavirus. Even China, where the <br />virus originated, now has fewer <br />known cases than the U.S. Scientists have warned that <br />the virus could take a firm hold in the <br />U.S. since the beginning of the outbreak in January. Also on Thursday, <br />the U.S. death toll due to the <br />virus exceeded 1,000 people. The U.S. has the third-largest <br />population in the world. <br />There are 330 million U.S. residents. Analysts have reported <br />that a worst case scenario death toll <br />in the U.S. could exceed two million people. More than 160 million Americans <br />have been ordered to remain home. Medical specialists advise <br />that once cases begin to plateau, <br />"then we can begin to smile."
