US becomes first country to hit 100 million Covid cases, experts say actual number may be much higher

Los Angeles: The US has officially recorded more than 100 million Covid-19 cases, according to the latest data released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The country totalled 100,216,983 confirmed Covid-19 cases as of December 21, according to CDC data updated on Wednesday. The US is the first country to record 100 million Covid-19 cases around the world, Xinhua news agency reported. 

Experts said the actual number is much higher as people testing at home do not relay their results to public health departments, and many people do not do tests anymore. More than 1.08 million people in the US had died from Covid-19 since the pandemic began, more than any other country in the world, CDC data showed.

Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital, told ABC News that while the 100 million mark is momentous, it's also a severe undercount.

"Obviously it's a milestone that signifies the sheer amount of transmission that has occurred around this virus and the population burden that we have faced," he said. "At the same time, we recognize that reported cases are absolutely a massive undercount -- at the beginning of the pandemic where testing was non-existent to the shift to home testing where a significant proportion of cases has gone unreported."

There are likely several reasons for underreported cases including people testing at home and not relaying their results to public health officials, not knowing where to get tested or people choosing not to test at all.

Meanwhile, the United States (US) will require all visitors from China to present a negative Covid-19 test result before boarding a flight to the country, CNN reported on Wednesday.

Through a telehealth service, the testing can be either PCR tests or antigen self-tests. CNN reported citing the Federal health officials that passengers travelling from China to the US will need to take a test no later than two days prior to their flight and provide their airline documentation of a negative result before boarding.

Both travellers flying from China directly to the United States and passengers going through well-known third-country gateways like Seoul, Toronto, and Vancouver will be subject to the rule. In place of a negative test result, those who test positive more than 10 days before their travel will be asked to present proof of their recovery. The new rules take effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on January 5.

(With Agency Inputs)