The speed with which the Covid-19 is sweeping across the world is seen from the fact that the deadly pathogen took 70 days to grip 1 million people and just 12 days to reach the 2-million count on Wednesday.
This, despite the fact that most affected nations, including India, are in a state of complete lockdown as WHO cautions patience before lifting social distancing restrictions.
Experts believe the true figure of positive cases is much higher, with many people never tested because their symptoms are mild or because of a shortage of medical supplies.
As of Wednesday morning there have been at least 2,004,670 cases of the disease worldwide, while at least 130,680 people have died after catching the virus.
Worldwide coronavirus cases reached one million and the global death toll surpassed 50,000 on April 2.
The United States has the largest outbreak in the world with more than 600,000 confirmed cases and nearly 30,000 deaths. Local and state officials in the US have acknowledged that the true number of Covid-19 cases in the country is likely far higher than those that have been confirmed due to testing shortages and restrictions.
According to WHO figures, there were around 153,000 cases a month ago on March 15, but the figure had risen to 751,000 by March 31.
The global tally passed one million on April 2, and has now doubled again in the space of two weeks.
The world knew almost nothing about the virus in December, when reports of a new coronavirus started to surface in Wuhan, China.
Since then, it has spread to nearly every country in the world, disrupting daily life for millions under lockdown measures meant to curb the virus’ rapid spread.