The number of deaths caused by the coronavirus surged past the 100,000 mark on Friday, doubling in nearly a week as the pandemic continues to spread across the globe, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The coronavirus, named COVID-19, has spread to more than 180 countries and territories. Countries that were most affected by the initial outbreak, such as China and South Korea, have seen their daily number of new cases decline dramatically.

However, the worst-hit countries in Europe, such as Italy, Spain and France, are still struggling to flatten the curve.

Over in the U.S., however, hope is rising that the situation is improving. New York, the epicenter of the outbreak in the country, reported a lower rate of virus-related hospitalizations this week, although the data is still early. White House officials said Wednesday that there's "real evidence" the country's lockdown efforts are working, although there's still "a significant amount of disease" in the New York City metropolitan area.

The number of global deaths surpassed 50,000 people on April 2, just after global infections passed 1 million people, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.