Worldwide Covid-19 cases surge past 15 million

WASHINGTON • Global coronavirus infections passed 15 million yesterday, as countries grappled to contain the pandemic.

The total of 15,107,017 cases is at least triple the number of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) data, while the death toll of more than 616,000 in seven months is close to the upper range of yearly influenza deaths.

The global tally reached the grim new milestone after India, which has the third-largest number of infections in the world behind the United States and Brazil, reported almost 40,000 new cases in its daily update.

While the American continent is still the major hot spot, the WHO said yesterday that Covid-19 is accelerating in Africa.

Worrying trends of coronavirus infection are also emerging in southern Europe and in the Balkan region, warned the WHO.

After the first Covid-19 case was detected in Wuhan, China, in early January, it took about 15 weeks to reach two million cases. By contrast, it took just eight days to climb above 15 million from the 13 million reached on July 13.

With the first wave of the virus yet to peak in several countries and a resurgence of cases in others, some countries are reintroducing strict social distancing measures, while others are relaxing restrictions.

REUTERS