If they know _exactly_ how many cases have presented, then they could have said _exactly_ how many cases have presented, instead of saying "more than 215". And

If they know _exactly_ how many cases have presented, then they could have said _exactly_ how many cases have presented, instead of saying "more than 215". And this is the number of cases, it's the number of patients. You're not a patient until you see a doctor, so that doesn't include people who don't see a doctor. There are a lot of numbers that are more than 215, but with such a specific number, it makes me think that the number is something like 217, and they just said "more than 215" to sensationalize it. And to be clear, 215 cases in a nation the size of the US is not "becoming an epidemic".