The coronavirus has now killed more than 150,000 people worldwide, according to the latest statistics at Johns Hopkins University.
The tragic milestone was passed Friday night; by midnight, the U.S. continued to have the pandemic’s highest death toll, at 31,456, followed by Italy, with 22,745 deaths, Spain, with 19,613 deaths and France with 18,681 deaths.
The first coronavirus death was recorded in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 9; the first cases arising either out of a live-animal food market, or — as is now being investigated — escaping due to carelessness from a virus research lab.
It took 83 days for the first 50,000 deaths to be recorded, Reuters notes.
But it took only eight days to climb from 50,000 to 100,000, and it has now hit 150,000 just eight days after that.