U.S. Now Has More COVID Cases Than Brazil and India Combined, Countries in Second and Third

By Jocelyn Grzeszczak On 7/17/20 at 10:03 AM EDT

The U.S. now has more coronavirus cases than Brazil and India combined, the two countries with the second- and third-most cases.

As of Friday morning, the U.S. is reporting 3,576,430 total cases, with Brazil and India reporting 2,012,151 and 1,003,832, respectively, according to data from Johns Hopkins University's tracker.

Coronavirus trend maps suggest that the U.S. is reporting more new cases daily than any other country.

While it appears the U.S. had flattened the curve of new cases in mid-April, the trend has seen a sharp increase since mid-June and numbers are only continuing to rise, the data suggests.

The U.S. has also reported more coronavirus-related deaths than any other country, at 138,360.

Death rates are rising in at least 17 states, with Arizona, Texas and Florida experiencing the most deaths — three states that each reopened much of its economy in early May.

On July 14, counties in Texas and Arizona had ordered refrigerated trucks to operate as makeshift morgues to accommodate rising death rates, echoing measures taken in New York when the city was at its worst.

Benjamin Haynes, a spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told Newsweek that cases are increasing in the country, particularly in the southeast and southwest regions.

"Current evidence tells us this increase is driven by many factors including increased testing, community transmission, and outbreaks in settings such as nursing homes and occupational settings," Haynes wrote in an email.

Newsweek contacted the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services for comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn — People wear protective face masks in Domino Park in Williamsburg as New York City moves into Phase 3 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus pandemic on July 16, 2020. As of July 17, the U.S. has more reported coronavirus cases than Brazil and India combined, the two countries with the second and third-most cases. Noam Galai/Getty

An unpublished White House document revealed Wednesday that 18 states are in the "red zone" for coronavirus cases, meaning they had more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people within the last week.

The document, dated July 14 and obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, was prepared for the White House Coronavirus Task Force. It suggests that more than a dozen states should reverse their reopening strategies and adopt measures seen in the early days of the virus, when virtually the entire U.S. shut down.