There are now more than 700,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to a database kept by Johns Hopkins University.
As of Saturday morning, Johns Hopkins reports that 706,832 people had contracted COVID-19. There are at least 37,084 deaths linked to the disease.
A large percentage of cases remain in New York state, where 235,395 people have contracted the disease. At least 17,000 people in the state have died. More than 131,000 of those cases alone were recorded in New York City.
Johns Hopkins reports that the U.S. has conducted more than 3 million coronavirus tests, the most in the world. However, health experts agree that the U.S. still lacks the capacity for widespread testing, and is currently only testing its sickest citizens. Because the virus can sometimes exhibit mild symptoms, health experts believe the total number of those infected is likely higher.
The new figures come as states consider relaxing social distancing regulations in order to jumpstart the economy. A series of Midwest states have said they plan to "reopen" their economies beginning May 1. On Friday, Florida announced some beaches in the north part of the state would reopen to the public.
