US cases reach 1,300 and death toll rises with only five states left without Covid-19

Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Maine, West Virginia have no reported cases

More than 1,300 people have been infected with the coronavirus and the death toll continues in the United States, according to data compiled by researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

It was confirmed Thursday morning that one more person died from the novel virus, bringing the death toll to 38.

Confirmed cases of the virus also is rapidly rising, and the number of people infected now reaches 1,323, which is up from the 1,016 confirmed cases on Wednesday morning.

Hopkins has compiled the number of cases by using information from governmental agencies like the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, which only updates about once per day, and state and local agencies.

An increase in the number of cases comes, in part, with the ability for the US to test more and more people across the nation. But testing still remains an issue in the US as hospitals and health facilities report an inability to test patients who come in.

An estimated 11,000 tests have been performed on Americans for the coronavirus outbreak, according to CNN. These numbers compare to the 10,000 people who are tested in South Korea every day.

Due to the lack of testing, the CDC has faced backlash because initially it only allowed states to use its own test to diagnose the virus. The US also ignored the World Health Organisation's test that was sent to nations around the world.

States like New York are now taking matters into their own hands and employing private labs to test individuals.

With more states testing on their own, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases is expected to rapidly increase.

The first case of the coronavirus was discovered in Washington state, but it has since spread across the entire country after other coastal states reported infections. Only five states in the US have yet to report cases: Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Maine, West Virginia.