The U.S. now has the most confirmed coronavirus cases in the world

By Rachel Mills

In the United States, at least 81,321 people are known to have been infected with the coronavirus as of Thursday — more cases than China, Italy or any other country has seen, according to the New York Times. 

The United States is the world’s third most populous nation, meaning it provides a vast pool of people who can potentially get Covid-19.

The New York Times reports a series of missteps led to the accelerated spread of the virus in the United States. 

These missteps include: a failure to take the pandemic seriously, a flawed effort to provide broad testing for the virus and a dire shortage of masks and protective gear to protect doctors and nurses, as well as ventilators to keep the critically ill alive.

The Washington Post reports the number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed 500,000.

The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus has hit 1,000 as of Thursday, according to tracking by The Washington Post, a toll that is increasing at an alarming rate.