Global coronavirus death toll hits 150,000 – Johns Hopkins tally

The global death toll of the coronavirus pandemic has surpassed 150,000 people as the virus rages on through the US and Europe. More than 2.2 million total cases have been confirmed.

Some 150,948 people have died with the coronavirus as of Friday, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University, which also reported 2,214,861 confirmed cases of the virus worldwide. The US remains the hardest-hit country, followed by Italy and Spain.

The epidemic has claimed 34,575 lives in the US as of Friday, and 22,745 people have died with the virus in Italy, while Spain has seen 19,613 deaths. France, the UK, and Belgium have reported the next highest casualty numbers.The epidemic that erupted in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and quickly spread around the world has claimed lives in most countries and may have pushed the global economy into an unprecedented depression.

As some countries look toward lifting lockdown orders, others have extended their own precautionary measures, concerned repealing the restrictions too soon will send infection numbers skyrocketing.

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