US overtakes Spain with second highest Covid-19 deaths worldwide, but Italy still holds top spot

The United States surpassed Spain’s coronavirus death toll late Wednesday night, according to the latest figures gathered by Johns Hopkins University, putting it in second place behind Italy, which still leads the globe in fatalities.

The lethal virus has killed 14,817 patients in the US, the new data shows, edging out Spain by fewer than 50 deaths. Though Italy’s toll of 17,669 remains the world’s highest, the US leads all other nations in cases by far, reporting well over 430,000 infections – more than the next three countries combined.

Covid-19 has afflicted 1.5 million people worldwide since the outbreak began in China late last year, sweeping 184 nations and leaving in excess of 88,000 dead. Germany, France and Iran have also seen significant numbers of cases and deaths in their own epidemics, coming in right behind the US, Spain, and Italy.