Coronavirus: global COVID-19 cases exceed 100 million since the pandemic began

The coronavirus pandemic passed the 100-million case mark on Wednesday night, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, with Europe accounting for nearly one-third of all global cases.

Seven of the 10 countries most affected by the virus are in Europe, where Russia, the United Kingdom, and France have each confirmed more than three million COVID-19 cases.

Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Germany are the other European countries in the top ten, each reporting more than two million cases of the virus.

The worst affected country remains the United States, which now accounts for a quarter of all cases in the world.

It has been a little over three months since the world surpassed the 50-million case milestone in November 2020.

The number of reported infections reflects only a portion of the actual number of cases, as many countries use tests in a limited fashion and some do not have sufficient resources to conduct extensive testing campaigns.

Many people are also believed to have contracted the virus without developing any symptoms — so-called asymptomatic cases.