26 March saw the number of worldwide cases rocket past half a million and head towards the one million mark.
But the true number of infected is difficult to gauge as in many developing countries weaker health systems and a lack of resources means far fewer tests are taking place.
And even in developed countries, health systems have been so hard pressed they haven't been able to test every suspected case, so the real figure is likely to be much higher.
Deaths have also risen rapidly.
The largest number of deaths are now in the US, but there is a wide variation in death rates from country to country.
It is thought the actual number of cases and deaths in regions of the world like South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Latin America may end up being massively under counted, because of difficulties with reporting.
Until recently, Italy was the hardest hit country in the world. It had the greatest number of deaths and the highest death rate.
But it is one of many countries in Europe to have seen thousands of deaths attributed to COVID-19 symptoms.
When the first cluster of cases was identified in Lombardy, Italy imposed a quarantine zone in 10 villages.
But the outbreak quickly spread and before long the whole country had to adopt the same restrictions.
Italy is ahead of the curve in Europe, but the trajectories of other countries suggest they could be similarly affected.
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