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(CNN) – The International Rescue Committee (IRC) estimates that there could be as many as 1 billion coronavirus infections in crisis-affected countries unless rapid steps are taken to curb its spread.
In the worst case, he warns that it could cause up to 3.2 million deaths.
A medical worker in San Salvador, El Salvador, prepares to perform a coronavirus test. (YURI CORTEZ / AFP via Getty Images)
“These numbers should serve as a wake-up call: The full, devastating and disproportionate weight of this pandemic has yet to be felt in the most fragile and war-torn countries,” said David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Committee for Rescue.
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“We are still in the critical window of time to mount a robust preventive response to the early stages of covid-19 in many of these countries and prevent further perpetuation of this epidemic globally.”
In a statement, IRC said it had compiled estimates based on models and data produced by Imperial College London and the World Health Organization.
TOPSHOT – A woman waits to receive food from Colombian soldiers at a slum in Bogota, on April 23, 2020 amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. (Photo by Raul ARBOLEDA / AFP) (Photo by RAUL ARBOLEDA / AFP via Getty Images)
The Imperial College London report to which the IRC refers modeled death rates under different repressive policies. It considered variables such as the economy of a country, the demographics of the population and the estimated capacity of medical care.
The 34 countries affected by the crisis to which the IRC refers are: Afghanistan, Burundi, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Greece, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Venezuela and Yemen.
A woman wears gloves, face masks, and a plastic bag around her body while shopping for groceries in Caracas,
Venezuela. (FEDERICO PARRA / AFP via Getty Images)
