The United States now has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world, surpassing Italy and China, where COVID-19 was first detected.
According to data by Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. had more than 85,000 cases as of early Friday.
However, the official number from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stood far lower at around 68,000 cases.
Italy's civil protection agency has reported some 80,500 cases while China's official tally hit over 81,000.
So far, more than 500,000 people around the world have been infected by the virus since the first outbreak was reported in December. ■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
