The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States surpassed 20 million Friday — marking a grim New Year’s Day milestone for the country, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
That’s almost double the 10.3 million cases in the next hardest-hit country, India, the data shows. The US accounts for nearly one-quarter of the 83 million confirmed infections globally.
Meanwhile, more than 346,000 Americans have died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The bleak tally comes as the vaccination effort in the US has gotten off to a slow start. Only 25 percent of the more than 12 million COVID-19 vaccinations that have been distributed across the country have been administered so far.
In the Big Apple — the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak last spring — 24 percent of people have been jabbed with the first dose, while in New York State, 31 percent of the shots received have been doled out.
Per capita, the US has the 10th-highest number of coronavirus deaths in the world — for a rate of 921.31 per 1 million people, according to Statista