SYDNEY / LONDON (Reuters) – Global coronavirus infections rose more than 15 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters count, with the pace of the pandemic even as countries remain divided in their response to the crisis.
FILE PHOTO: Emergency medical technicians clean their supplies outside Memorial West Hospital, where patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are treated, in Pembroke Pines, Florida, USA, July 13, 2020. REUTERS / Maria Alejandra Cardona
In the United States, which has the highest number of cases in the world with 3.91 million infections, President Donald Trump warned: “Probably, unfortunately, it will get worse before it improves.”
The top five countries with the most cases are completed by Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa. But, the Reuters count shows that the disease is accelerating faster in the Americas, accounting for more than half of the world’s infections and half of its deaths.
Globally, the rate of new infections shows no signs of slowing down, according to Reuters count, according to official reports.
After the first COVID-19 case was reported in Wuhan, China in early January, it took approximately 15 weeks to reach 2 million cases. On the contrary, it took only eight days to exceed 15 million of the 13 million reached on July 13.
Health experts emphasize that official data almost certainly does not report both infections and deaths, particularly in countries with limited testing capacity.
The official number of coronavirus cases at 15,009,213 is at least three times the number of serious influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to data from the World Health Organization, while the number of deaths of more than 616,000 in seven months is close to upper range of annual influenza deaths.
RELAX OR TIGHTEN
With the first wave of the virus still in full swing in several countries and a resurgence in the number of cases in others, some countries are reintroducing stringent social distancing measures, while others relax the restrictions.
Surprised by the low approval ratings for his handling of the epidemic and minimizing risks during the early stages, Trump made a significant change in rhetoric on Tuesday, encouraging Americans to wear a face mask.
While the epidemic worsened in the United States, Trump’s focus before the November presidential election has been on reopening the economy, and governors in the hardest hit states of Texas, Florida, and Georgia continue to press hard against calls for tighter restrictions.
In Brazil, more than 2.15 million people tested positive, including President Jair Bolsonaro, and more than 81,000 people died. While Bolsonaro has downplayed the outbreak, its scale has made Brazil an excellent testing ground for potential vaccines.
India, the only other country with more than 1 million cases, reported nearly 40,000 new cases on Wednesday. Having been eager to reopen its economy, India now faces the dual challenge of fighting the pandemic and massive flooding in the northeast of the country.
Two ministers in the South African cabinet were admitted to the hospital with COVID-19, since the most industrialized country in Africa counted a total of 372,628 confirmed cases and 5,173 deaths.
Other countries are reintroducing restrictions in response to new outbreaks.
In Spain, the number of people allowed on Barcelona’s beaches was limited after crowds flocked to the coast over the weekend despite advice to stay home.
In Australia, residents of Melbourne, the country’s second-largest city, were ordered to wear masks in public since Wednesday after the country reported a record 501 new cases.
Officials in Canada closely watched an increase in cases as the economy reopens, attributing the increase in part to large numbers of young people gathering in bars.
Meanwhile, China announced that passengers on inbound flights must provide negative COVID-19 test results before boarding, as authorities seek to reduce the risk of imported cases amid increased international travel.
Reports by Jane Wardell and Gayle Issa; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore
.
