The number of Americans who have recovered from coronavirus is now DOUBLE the US death toll as more than 128,000 have survived – but daily new infection rates continue to surge
- Of the 1.07 million people in the US who have been diagnosed with coronavirus, at least 128,141 are confirmed to have recovered
- That’s twice as many Americans as have died during the pandemic, which currently sits at 62,547
- To be considered recovered, patients must have no fever for 72 hours without drugs and two negative tests results taken at least 24 hours apart
- Researchers believe the number of recoveries is likely higher due to the number of people with antibodies who never tested positive for the virus
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Recoveries from the novel coronavirus in the US are now double the number of total deaths, new figures reveal.
As of Thursday afternoon, at least 128,141 Americans are confirmed to have recuperated from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
That’s double the number of people who have died, which currently sits at 62,547.
It’s a promising sign for the US, which is reporting five-figure numbers when it comes to new cases per day, five times as many as China did during its peak.
Of the 1.07 million people in the US who have been diagnosed with coronavirus, at least 128,141 are confirmed to have recovered – double the number of Americans who’ve died, which is 62,547 (above)
To be considered recovered, patients must have no fever for 72 hours without drugs and two negative tests results taken at least 24 hours apart. Pictured: Phlebotomist Jenee Wilson talks with Melissa Cruz, an ER technician who has recovered from coronavirus, as she finishes donating plasma in Seattle, Washington, April 17
Researchers believe the number of recoveries is likely higher due to the number of people with antibodies who never tested positive for the virus. Pictured: Dr Jan Levora (left) and nurse Kristen Renner (right) wait outside CHI-St Alexius Health in Bismarck, North Dakota, with Gery (left) and Betty DeGreef of Mandan, both of whom recovered from the virus
To be considered recovered, a patient must have no fever without the help of drugs for 72 hours, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Additionally, the person must also show improvement in his or her respiratory health and have two negative tests results taken at least 24 hours apart.
The current numbers are a far cry from the week of March 16 to 22 when 472 people died and 668 had recovered, only about a 41 percent difference.
But while deaths are increasing exponentially week over week, recoveries are rising at a faster rate.
Last week, total recoveries sat at 109,483 and total deaths was around 55,490.
That means recuperations from the virus are 1.16 times higher than the previous week and deaths are 1.11 times higher.
However, the true figure is likely much higher because thousand of patients have tested positive for antibodies, but never were tested for the virus itself.
‘People are recovering from this, absolutely,’ Dr Casey Kelley, a clinical instructor of family and community medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, told US News & World Report earlier this month.
‘They absolutely are, and most people will. We just don’t have the data because we don’t have the manpower to monitor that right now.’
The new figures come on the heels of reports that the number of confirmed recoveries worldwide has surpassed one million.
That means roughly 33 percent – or one-third – of all diagnosed coronavirus patients have recuperated from the illness.
And while the US is leading the globe in the number of positive cases at 1.07 million, it also leads in recoveries.
By comparison, Spain has 137,984 recoveries, Germany has 123,500 recoveries and Italy has 75,945 recoveries, according to the Johns Hopkins tracker.