ANKARA

The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the US surpassed 1.8 million Monday, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. 

The university's data showed that the number of fatalities in the country had reached 104,799 while recoveries totaled 444,758.

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to 188 countries and regions across the world. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed more than 374,200 people worldwide, with the total number of confirmed cases exceeding 6.6 million while over 2.67 million people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US-based university.