The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed the way millions of Americans work every day.

The U.S. troops face a formidable adversary that does not get tired, does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants, and will only be defeated with teamwork, discipline and sustained nationwide response. COVID-19 will be a long fight that demands hard work, innovative thinking, stamina, and agility.

The U.S. Department of Defense awarded $5.2 billion in contracts for various aspects of coronavirus response – face masks, other medical supplies, according to UPI.com.

An April 9 Defense Department notice gives further details, stating that BTF Solutions, General Dynamics Information Technology, V W International Inc., Walsh Healthcare Logistics, Martek Global Services Inc., Red Cedar Corp., Strategic Initial Outfitting Transition, were awarded $5 billion in support of the presidential national emergency declaration concerning the novel coronavirus disease.

The overall ceiling is now $5,495,000,000.

On Friday, the number of deaths caused by the coronavirus surged past the 100,000 mark, doubling in nearly a week.

The coronavirus has now infected over 500,000 people in the U.S. on Friday night, constituting almost one-third of all cases across the globe, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

As of 9:25 p.m. Eastern Time, the U.S. has recorded 500,399 cases of the coronavirus disease, or Covid-19, of which 174,481 were in New York, the data showed.