A question about COVID numbers...

[Jeebo]

They just reported on The 11th Hour on MSNBC that to date there are 8,771,443 confirmed virus cases. Every time I hear that number, I always wonder, is that 8,771,443 active cases RIGHT NOW, or is it 8,771,443 cases in total SINCE THE PLAGUE BEGAN going all the way back to the first U.S. cases in January? If it's the former, it would not include those who have died or the ones who have had the virus but recovered. If it's the latter, a lot of those cases would be people who have died and so the number would include those 225,000 or so, and it also would include a lot more people who have recovered, and a lot more who are trying to recover now. Nobody ever says what that number means exactly. I have an inquiring mind. I want to know.

-- Ron

[marmar]

1. Since the first diagnosed cases. It includes those who've died and those who've recovered.

But that's known cases. How many millions more were infected, either asymptomatically or with mild symptoms, but were never tested?

[Blue_true]

2. The 8,771,443 are the cumulative infections since the pandemic

reached the United States.

[Ms. Toad]

3. Total number since day 1.

Current active cases in the US: 2,897,914