The number of novel coronavirus infections in the United States has surpassed that of the virus' epicenter China, placing the U.S. as the country with the largest number of infected patients in the world.

According to Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center, as of 1:55 p.m. Friday, there have been 85-thousand-991 confirmed cases in the U.S., the largest number worldwide.

China ranked second with 81-thousand-782 cases, followed by Italy with 80-thousand-589.

The death toll in the U.S. stands at one-thousand-296, while it is three-thousand-291 in China and eight-thousand-215 in Italy.

CNN said the onset rate in the U.S. was far higher compared to that of China, considering that the estimated population in the U.S is 328 million, while it is over one-point-four billion in China.

Since the country's first case on January 21, the number of confirmed cases surpassed 10-thousand last Thursday, after which it surged by 10-thousand on a daily basis.