Story at a glance
- While the number of coronavirus cases has surpassed 205,000, more than 82,000 people have recovered.
- The World Health Organization says those who become infected generally experience mild illness and recover in about two weeks.
- The virus is an increased risk to people over the age of 60, and those with underlying health issues.
As the rate of new cases of the coronavirus continues to climb in the United States, new data shows that more than 82,000 people have recovered from the infection since the outbreak kicked off in late December.
A coronavirus tracker put up by Johns Hopkins University of Medicine shows there have been more than more than 205,000 confirmed cases worldwide.
The disease can cause varying degrees of illness and death, as more than 8,200 people have died, and is especially threatening for older adults with underlying health conditions. But for the majority of people who become infected, the coronavirus brings only mild symptoms, such as cough and fever.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) says those that experience mild illness typically recover from the illness in about two weeks, while those who experience a more severe illness could take up to six weeks to recover.
“The most commonly reported symptoms included fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath, and most patients (80%) experienced mild illness,” WHO said. “Approximately 14 percent experienced severe disease and 5 percent were critically ill.”
WHO officials say early reports suggest illness severity is associated with those over the age of 60.
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In the Hubei Province of China, where the outbreak began and where most of the cases occurred, more than 56,000 infected have recovered from the virus.
In Italy, which currently has more than 31,500 cases, there have been about 2,900 people who have recovered. More than 2500 deaths have been reported in the country.
“We need to remember that with decisive, early action, we can slow down the virus and prevent infections. Among those who are infected, most will recover,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this week.
In the U.S., more than 6500 cases have been reported with 115 deaths.
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