The total number of deaths from COVID-19 surpassed 300,000 on Thursday (May 14), according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Since the global coronavirus pandemic began, there have been 4.4 million confirmed cases, though health experts believe the actual number of cases is much higher. In the United States, there are more than 1.4 million confirmed cases, and nearly 85,000 people have died.
New York City has become the global epicenter of the pandemic with more than 187,000 cases and more than 15,000 deaths.
As the death toll from the coronavirus continues to rise, many states are beginning to reopen following more than two months of lockdowns. States are opening slowly in phases and enacting strict social distancing plans to help prevent a second wave of infections when businesses open their doors to customers again.
Health experts are worried that states may be opening up too soon and could see a massive spike in the number of deaths during the summer months if people fail to follow social distancing guidelines.
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