The novel coronavirus is set to reach another milestone as more than 2 million people have been reported to have contracted the disease.

COVID-19 knows no bounds. The novel coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, has reached more than 2 million cases worldwide as of Wednesday, April 15.

The number of cases may continue to climb, as researchers warn that secondary waves will likely occur in the coming months, as countries start to lift their respective restrictions.

The disease also recorded over 148,000 deaths worldwide and more than 565,000 recoveries at the time of writing, according to the live map supplied by John Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE).

Just a week ago, the number of global cases breached the 1.5 million mark.

More cases on the horizon

At the time of writing, Europe had the highest combined number of cases, reaching over 1 million. This is equal to around half of the total amount of COVID-19 cases worldwide.

The United States still has the most number of cases at more than 686,000, followed by Spain, Italy, France, and Germany with six-digit counts. Rounding up the top 10 are the United Kingdom, China, Iran, Turkey, and Belgium.

Nearly all the countries mentioned reported high ratios of recoveries in comparison to the death count, with Germany having the best ratio at 24 recoveries for every death reported.

It is interesting to note that Greenland is now officially free of the novel coronavirus, with all of its 11 patients recovering to full health. Meanwhile, Yemen has officially reported its first case a couple of days ago.

Out of 197 countries, North Korea, Lesotho, Comoros, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and a majority of the smaller nations in the Pacific region are currently officially free from COVID-19.

WHO warned about COVID-19 since January

The new disease was already listed as a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern,” by the World Health Organization earlier this year in January.

Despite all efforts by governments around the world to find ways to deal with the virus, social distancing remains the best way to contain COVID-19, as scientists around the world scramble for a vaccine, as well as reliable treatment regimes for the disease.

COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease. Patients who contract the virus experience a range of symptoms: from fatigue to physically prominent ones such as cough, fever, chills, and muscle pains. In more severe cases, patients experience difficulty in breathing.

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