In just a few months, the COVID-19 outbreak that began in Wuhan, China, has become the greatest global health crisis our generation has ever seen. You can’t turn on your television, open up Facebook, or go anywhere without news of the pandemic swirling around you. 

Most of this information revolves around the severity of the pandemic, and with good reason. The total number of confirmed cases throughout the world has now surpassed 1.3 million, and the number of deaths is closing in on 74 thousand [1].

For many, hearing these numbers can lead to feelings of anxiety, stress, and fear. But while the media tends to focus on the negative, it is important to also look at the other side of this pandemic: the recoveries.

COVID-19 Recovery Statistics

To date, more than 275 thousand people have recovered from COVID-19. 

In China, more than 77 thousand of the country’s 82 665 cases have recovered. Spain has seen more than forty thousand recoveries, Germany has seen nearly 29 thousand, and to date, nearly 19 thousand patients in the US have recovered from the virus [2].

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), eighty percent of COVID-19 cases are mild, and in those cases, people typically recover in about two weeks. For more severe cases, it may take up to six weeks to recover [3].

Read: 8 Positive Updates on the COVID-19 Outbreaks From Around the World

Health Experts are still “Deeply Concerned”

While these recovery statistics are encouraging, they do not detract from the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rapid global spread of the virus has health experts very worried.

On April 1, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed his concern during a news briefing.

“Over the past five weeks, we have witnessed a near exponential growth in the number of new COVID-19 cases, reaching almost every country, territory and area,” he said [4]. 

The United States has now surpassed 350 thousand cases throughout the country, with over 10 thousand deaths [5]. This comes at the beginning of what the White House has predicted will be a “very painful” two-week period in which health officials expect to see the number of new cases and deaths continue to increase at an alarming rate [4].

The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) updated their predictions on Sunday, April 5, estimating that by early August, there will be 81 766 deaths in the United States due to COVID-19 [6].

The model uses numbers from China, Italy, Spain, and areas around the US in order to make these projections and provide hospitals, healthcare workers, policymakers, and the general public with information regarding the demand that will be placed on the healthcare system.

This new prediction is actually much lower than what experts were originally projecting, which was 93 531 deaths. This is an incredibly positive outcome because it means that there will be a need for 121 269 fewer hospital beds and 10 517 fewer ICU beds than originally thought [6].

The number of ventilators that will be needed is also down, from 31 782 to 18 992 [6].

Despite these positive numbers, however, the United States has still not reached its peak in terms of a number of cases. Experts are projecting that the US will reach the apex of the outbreak on April 16, and while that is only ten days away, the number of new cases being confirmed every day is still climbing dramatically, meaning ten days can still have a devastating impact [6].

Read: How Will The Coronavirus Pandemic Come To An End?

Help Stop the Spread

While the number of recovered cases may be encouraging, and the new IHME projections provide some hope, it is crucial that we all remain vigilant and continue doing our part to slow down the spread of the virus.

We have not yet reached the peak of the outbreak, and still so much can happen between now and then if we are not careful. If everyone across the country continues to practice proper handwashing and social distancing, we can have a profound impact on the trajectory, spread, and mortality rate of the virus.

Now is not the time to relax, but the time to be encouraged and dedicate ourselves even more to the fight against this pandemic. It is not up to only our public health officials, governments, and frontline healthcare workers to stop the spread, it is the responsibility of each and every one of us.

Keep Reading: Don’t Just Avoid the Virus — Help Defeat It by Strengthening Your Immunity

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