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The coronavirus continues to spread worldwide, with more than three million confirmed cases in 185 countries and more than 200,000 deaths.
The United States alone has more than a million confirmed cases, four times more than any other country.
This series of maps and charts tracks the global outbreak of the virus since it emerged in China in December last year.
How many cases and deaths have there been?
The virus, which causes the Covid-19 respiratory infection, was first detected in Wuhan City, China, in late 2019.
It is spreading rapidly in many countries and the number of deaths continues to increase.
Note: The map and table on this page use a different font for the figures for France than the one used by Johns Hopkins University, resulting in a slightly lower overall total.
The United States has by far the highest number of cases, with more than a million confirmed infections, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. With over 60,000 deaths, it also has the highest death toll in the world.
Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain and France, the most affected European countries, have registered more than 20,000 deaths.
In China, the official death toll is close to 5,000 from about 84,000 confirmed cases. The death figures rose on April 17 after what officials called “a statistical review” and critics questioned whether the country’s official figures can be trusted.
Note: The above data for new cases is a three-day moving average.
The outbreak was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11. This is when an infectious disease is easily transmitted from person to person in many parts of the world at the same time.
More than three million people are known to have been infected worldwide, but the true number is believed to be much higher since many of the people with milder symptoms have not been analyzed or counted.
While the United States and much of Europe have been badly affected by the virus, some countries have managed to avoid similar death tolls.
New Zealand, for example, says it has effectively eliminated the threat for now after less than 1,500 cases and just 19 deaths.
The country introduced some of the world’s toughest travel and activity restrictions at the start of the pandemic, but is now relaxing some of them. Some nonessential businesses will reopen this week, but most people will still have to stay home and avoid all social interactions.
While some countries begin to ease restrictions, others are only now beginning to impose them as cases and deaths begin to increase.
Across Latin America, where many economies are already struggling and millions live on what they can earn on a day-to-day basis, there is concern about the strain that the increasing number of virus cases could put on healthcare systems. Of particular concern are Ecuador and Brazil.
Ecuador has already seen its health system collapse: thousands have died from the virus and other conditions that could not be treated due to the crisis. While Brazil has also seen a sharp increase in both cases and deaths, with all states in the largest country in South America affected.
Worldwide, it is estimated that more than 4.5 billion people, half the world’s population, live under social distancing measures, according to the AFP news agency.
Those restrictions have had a major impact on the global economy, with the International Monetary Fund saying the world is facing the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The UN World Food Program also warned that the pandemic could almost double the number of people suffering from acute hunger.
Europe begins to facilitate closure measures
The four most affected countries in Europe are Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain and France, all of which have recorded at least 20,000 deaths.
However, all four countries appear to have been through the peak of the virus now and the number of reported cases and deaths is decreasing in each.
Germany and Belgium also recorded a relatively high number of deaths and are now seeing those numbers decrease, although as Belgium has a much smaller population than Germany, the number of deaths per capita has been higher.
How countries across Europe are deciding to get out of the blockade varies, and the EU says “there is no one size fits all” approach to lifting containment measures.
Spain has announced a four-phase plan to lift its blockade and return to a “new normal” in late June. Children under the age of 14 are allowed to leave their homes for one hour a day, after six weeks locked up.
In Italy, certain shops and factories were allowed to reopen, and the prime minister says other measures will be provided starting May 4.
In France, the prime minister said this week that non-essential stores and markets will reopen from May 11, but not bars and restaurants. Schools will also gradually reopen.
Other European countries that ease the restrictions include Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Germany, where they have been told they can reopen children’s play areas and museums and that church services can be resumed, under strict rules of social distancing and hygiene.
In the UK, where there have been more than 170,000 confirmed cases and at least 26,000 deaths, the closure measures remain in place. The prime minister promised a “comprehensive plan” next week on how the government will get the country moving again.
New York remains epicenter of US outbreak
With over a million cases, the United States has the highest number of confirmed infections in the world. The country has also recorded more than 60,000 deaths.
New York state has been particularly affected, with 18,000 deaths in New York City alone, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the death toll “appears to be on a smooth decline.”
Cuomo has suggested that parts of his state could begin reopening after the current order to stay home expires on May 15.
At one point, more than 90% of the US population. USA He was under mandatory blockade orders, but President Trump has declared he will not renew his government’s social distancing guidelines once they expire on Thursday and some states have already begun lifting the restrictions.
Georgia, Oklahoma, Alaska and South Carolina have allowed some companies to reopen in recent days, after official unemployment figures showed that more than 30 million Americans have lost their jobs since mid-March.
But public health authorities have warned that increased human interactions and economic activity could spark a new wave of infections just as the number of new cases begins to decline.
Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, said social distancing should remain the norm “throughout the summer to ensure that we really protect each other as we move through these phases.”
