US Hits Staggering 6 Million Positive Cases Of The Coronavirus, World Passes 25 Million

The number of positive coronavirus cases in the U.S. has reached a staggering 6 million, according to The New York Times database.

The news of the increase in coronavirus cases comes as the U.S. wrestles with testing changes as the CDC changed its guidelines for individuals who need to be tested for the virus. The CDC now says that people who have come in contact with someone who has been infected with COVID-19 but are asymptomatic no longer need to get tested unless advised by a health official.

The change in testing guidelines from the CDC has come with criticism from the medical community. But the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services maintains that the change in guidelines will provide more meaningful tests and prevent a false sense of security when receiving a negative test result.

While the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. is decreasing, the country still leads the world in the total number of positive coronavirus cases with Brazil and India most closely trailing behind the nation. Brazil has reported over 3.8 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and India has reported over 3.6 million positive cases of the virus, data from Johns Hopkins University indicated. India had 78,761 cases reported Sunday, the highest number recorded on one day in the world.

The milestone number was compounded by 183,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. – a death toll number that is higher than every other country in the world. Countries that trail the U.S. in total COVID-19 deaths include Brazil, India, and Mexico.

The 6 million positive coronavirus cases reported by the U.S. comes as the world hit over 25 million confirmed cases of the virus. Globally there have been over 846,000 COVID-19 related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins.