The United States now leads the world in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases.
According to a running count by the Johns Hopkins University, the number of people infected in the U.S. is 82,404 as of Thursday evening. That’s just ahead of the 81,782 cases in China and 80,589 in Italy.
Italy has the most confirmed deaths of any country with 8,215. To date, 1,178 people have died in the U.S.
President Trump said Thursday that he plans to travel to Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday to see off a 1,000-bed Navy hospital ship that will be used to relieve the pressure on New York hospitals dealing with the influx of coronavirus patients.
The President told New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo the ship will arrive in New York Harbor on Monday.
LIVE: Press Briefing with Coronavirus Task Force https://t.co/Z8tK225cN6
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 26, 2020
Trump added in a White House press conference that he will “kiss it goodbye” and that the ship is “loaded up to the top” with medical supplies.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in New York increased to 3,800 this week, including close to 900 in intensive care, with the projected peak of the outbreak still weeks away.
Closer to home, Florida has 2,355 confirmed cases and 28 deaths as of Thursday afternoon, and another 23,741 negative tests, with 1,443 more pending. Miami-Dade County has the most cases in the state, at 616. Broward is second with 504 cases and three deaths, and Palm Beach County is third, with 169 confirmed cases and three deaths.