How the US got to 4 million cases of COVID-19
The U.S. hit the latest bleak milestone Thursday in the historic and deadly pandemic: 4 million confirmed cases of infections.
And experts agree the number of cases is actually much greater —potentially 10 times higher than what's been reported, according to federal data.
Meanwhile, almost 150,000 people in the U.S. have died from the coronavirus as the nation continues to lead the world for most cases and deaths.
"We are still knee-deep in the first wave of this," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said in a Facebook Live interview July 6. "And I would say, this would not be considered a wave. It was a surge, or a resurgence of infections superimposed upon a baseline."
USA TODAY has been tracking the nation's successes, setbacks and major news since the first case was confirmed in January in Washington state. Below, we break down the major milestones in case and death counts:
July 23: US reaches 4 million cases
The U.S. surpassed 4 million infections on July 23, doubling its total case count in a little more than a month. Meanwhile, the death toll reached 144,000.
While there's more COVID-19 testing than ever, it's created a bottleneck for labs and states are bidding against each other for limited supplies. Meanwhile, experts say many tests become irrelevant after delayed results and increase the chance of the virus's spread.
June 11: US confirms 2 million cases
In early June, cases reached 2 million, just 45 days after confirmed infections surpassed 1 million in the U.S.
More than a dozen states and Puerto Rico saw cases spike over at a faster rate in summer months. Experts said the unexpected uptick in cases could be due to lifting restrictions, isolated outbreaks and the virus finally catching up to communities that had not previously been impacted.
May 27: US death toll passes 100,000
On May 13, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University showed the national curve flattening. But starting May 18, several states began to lift their restrictions, and then Memorial Day saw more travel, busy beaches and pool parties.
The result: Deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. surpassed 100,000.
ccording to polls, half of Americans said they were unsure they would get a vaccine if one was found.
April 28: 1 million cases, over 50,000 dead
Over the course of four months, the U.S. reached 1 million cases and more than 50,000 people had died. Experts cautioned the number of cases was likely much higher as not all people infected by the coronavirus were tested.
"The million (cases) is clearly way under what the actual number will be because of all the issues of testing and all the people with mild symptoms that haven’t been tested," said Dr. Steven Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
John Hopkins University tracking found the U.S. had the 33rd-highest mortality rate out of the 134 countries.
April 1: 200,000 confirmed cases
The U.S. passed 200,000 cases on April 1. For the first time, 1,000 people died in a single day, bringing the national death toll to over 5,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Just two days later, the CDC reversed its guidance advising Americans to not wear face masks in order to save them for medical professionals. Trump said the new guidance to wear face masks is voluntary: "I don't think I'm going to be doing it," he said. The new mask guidance came as research revealed that asymptotic people were spreading the disease without knowing they had it.
Meanwhile, unemployment rates hit record highs at the end of March and early April.
March 26: US leads world with 100,000 cases
A day after the U.S. became the world's most infected nation with more than 1,000 deaths, the nation passed 100,000 cases.
Trump signed the largest stimulus package in U.S. history, promising $1,200 checks to eligible Americans, with additional amounts for families. The stimulus package also included hundreds of billions of dollars of support for companies to keep a payroll during the pandemic.
March 11: US passes 1,000 cases
While President Donald Trump announced a ban on travelers from Europe, U.S. cases jumped from 100 to over 1,000 in just eight days.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. "We cannot say this loudly enough, or clearly enough, or often enough: all countries can still change the course of this pandemic," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, said in a statement.
Jan. 21: First-known US case
The first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was reported Jan. 21 soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began implementing health screenings in airports. At the time, China had 548 confirmed cases and South Korea had one. A few weeks later, two people died, on Feb. 6 and 17, and tests done in April later determined they were positive for the coronavirus.