Worldwide coronavirus cases surpass 2 million

More than two million cases of the new coronavirus have been officially registered around the world.

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At least 2,113,226 infections , including 141,545 deaths , have been recorded worldwide.

The United States , where the virus is spreading most rapidly, registered 653,825 cases and 30,998 deaths.

The tallies, using data collected from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization ( WHO ), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.

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The brunt of the disease has been felt most heavily in New York , Italy , France , Spain , and the United Kingdom , but grim projections of a virus that would spread with equal ferocity to other corners of America and the world have not yet materialized after more than a month of measures meant to blunt its impact.

Officials around the world worried that halting quarantine and physical-distancing measures could easily undo the hard-earned progress that those steps have achieved in slowing the spread.

Still, there were signs countries were looking in that direction.

Spain

permitted some workers to return to their jobs, while a hard-hit region of Italy loosened its lockdown restrictions. Governors on both coasts of the U.S. announced that they would join forces to come up with a coordinated reopening at some point, setting the stage for a potential conflict with President Donald Trump , who asserted that he is the ultimate decision-maker for determining how and when to reopen.

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