By Alistair Bell
© Reuters / Anushree Fadnavis
Outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New Delhi
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Global coronavirus cases topped 11 million on Friday, according to a Reuters count, marking another milestone in the spread of the disease that has killed more than half a million people in seven months.
According to the World Health Organization, the number of cases is more than double the number of serious influenza diseases registered annually.
Many heavily affected countries are reducing blockages to slow the spread of the coronavirus while making major changes to working and social life that could last a year or more until a vaccine is available.
Some countries are experiencing a resurgence of infections, prompting authorities to partially reset the blockages, in what experts say could be a recurring pattern in 2021.
The United States reported more than 55,400 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, a new daily world record as infections increased in most states. Several US governors halted plans to reopen their state economies amid increased cases.
Nearly a quarter of known global deaths have occurred in the United States, nearly 129,000. A recent spike in cases has put President Donald Trump’s handling of the crisis under a microscope and has led several governors to halt plans to reopen their states after strict blockades.
Latin America, where Brazil has 1.5 million cases, represents 23% of the world total of infected people. India has become the new epicenter of Asia, reaching 625,000 cases.
Asia and the Middle East have around 12% and 9% respectively, according to Reuters count, which uses government reports.
In some countries with limited testing capabilities, case numbers reflect a small proportion of total infections. Health experts warn that official data probably does not tell the full story, and many believe that both cases and deaths have probably not been reported in some countries.
Worldwide, more than 520,000 disease-related deaths have been recorded so far, roughly the same as the number of influenza deaths reported annually.
The first death related to the new coronavirus was reported on January 10 in Wuhan, China, before infections and deaths emerged in Europe, then the United States, and then Russia.
The pandemic has now entered a new phase, with India and Brazil struggling with outbreaks of more than 10,000 cases per day, putting great pressure on resources.
Countries such as China, New Zealand and Australia have experienced new outbreaks in the past month, despite largely canceling local transmission.
(Reporting by Alistair Bell; Edition by Howard Goller and Daniel Wallis)
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