Global coronavirus death toll tops 150,000, according to Johns Hopkins
Detail of the hands a health worker during a test for patients suspected of being infected with for the coronavirus (COVID-19) at the Center Health Teixeira de Freitas on April 17, 2020 in Niteroi, Brazil. (Photo by Luis Alvarenga/Getty Images/Getty
The number of people who’ve died from the novel coronavirus passed the 150,000 mark on April 17, according to the most recent data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
The global death toll crossed that threshold the same day that Wuhan — the Chinese city where the virus first appeared late last year — announced its death toll is actually 50% higher than initially reported, according to the Associated Press.
The world has more than 2.2 million confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.
The United States has more than 684,000 confimed cases, the highest of any country. Over 34,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. alone.
As jarring as the death toll continues to be, there has been reason for cautious optimism.
On April 16, President Donald Trump unveiled new guidelines for governors to reopen areas if there is a confirmed downward trend in coronavirus cases.
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Additionally, there has been data that suggests Remdisivir, a drug initially developed to fight Ebola, is proving beneficial in treating coronavirus patients.
However, a spokeswoman from Gilead Sciences, the biotech company that developed the drug, characterized the findings as anecdotal and said conclusions should not be drawn without further analysis.
"Anecdotal reports, while encouraging, do not provide the statistical power necessary to determine the safety and efficacy profile of Remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19," she told FOX News.