The United States, the worst-affected country worldwide in terms of the number of coronavirus cases and national death doll, is on the brink of the terrible milestine of 9m cases.
In recent days the US has twice reported daily infection totals of over 80,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
It currently has a total of 8,944,632, with the next daily infection figure expected to take that number over 9m.
At roughly the current rate, the US will have 10m cases around two weeks after the US presidential election on 3 November.
How is 9,000,000 more terrible a milestine than 8,978,000?
Media internationally is a mass of new records and numbers! numbers! numbers!