Global coronavirus death toll hits 200,000
A member of the medical staff waits for more patients at a Brussels hospital on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
Global deaths linked to the coronavirus have passed 200,000, while confirmed cases of the virus are expected to hit 3 million in coming days, according to a Reuters tally.
More than half of the fatalities have been reported by the United States, Spain and Italy.
The first death linked to the disease was reported on January 10 in Wuhan, China. It took 91 days for the death toll to pass 100,000 and a further 16 days to reach 200,000, according to the Reuters tally of official reports from governments.
By comparison, there are an estimated 400,000 deaths annually from malaria, one of the world’s most deadly infectious diseases.
The United States had reported more than 52,400 deaths as of Saturday morning, while Italy, Spain and France have reported between 22,000-26,000 fatalities each.
Of the top 20 most severely affected countries, Belgium has reported the highest number of fatalities per capita, with six deaths per 10,000 people, compared to 4.9 in Spain and 1.6 in the United States.
About 8% of all cases reported in the United States have been fatal, while more than 10% of cases reported in Spain and Italy have resulted in deaths.
However, those rates would be considerably lower if the infection totals included the many cases of the illness that go unreported – since not everyone with symptoms is tested.
Asia and Latin America have each reported more than 7000 deaths, while the Middle East has reported upwards of 8,800. The current toll in Africa is around 1350.
The global death toll has continued to grow at a rate of 3-4% per day over the past 10 days, though that rate has slowed since the beginning of the month.
The true number of fatalities is expected to be higher as many countries have not included deaths recorded in nursing homes and other locations outside hospitals.
Britain’s Home Secretary Priti Patel pleaded with people to stay at home as more start ignoring lockdown advice. Photo: 10 Downing Street via Reuters.
‘TERRIBLE MILESTONE’ FOR BRITAIN
Britain’s Covid-19 death toll passed 20,000 on Saturday in what the interior minister called “a tragic and terrible milestone” as she urged people to stay at home.
The government is facing growing criticism over its response to the new coronavirus pandemic as the death toll rises. Britain was slower to impose a lockdown than European peers and is struggling to raise its testing capacity.
The country now has the fifth-highest official coronavirus death toll in the world, after the US, Italy, Spain and France, and scientists have said that the death rate will only start to decline quickly in another couple of weeks.
In mid-March, the government’s chief scientific adviser said keeping the death toll below 20,000 would be a “good outcome”.
The latest daily death toll of 813 hospital deaths brought the number of people who have tested positive for the illness and died in hospital to 20,319.
Interior minister Priti Patel said the country was not out of the woods yet, and pleaded with Britons to stay at home as more people start ignoring lockdown advice. Data showed car usage had started to rise this week.
“Our instruction remains clear, people should stay at home, protect the NHS (National Health Service) and save lives,” Patel told a news conference on Saturday.
“We know that people are frustrated but we are not out of danger. It is imperative that we continue to follow the rules.”
TESTING TIMES
Britain’s total number of deaths is likely to be thousands higher with the addition of more comprehensive but lagging figures that include deaths in care homes. As of April 10, the hospital toll was short of the overall toll by about 40%.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is still recovering after falling seriously ill with Covid-19 earlier this month and in his absence, government ministers have been struggling to explain high death rates, limited testing and shortages of protective equipment for medical workers and carers.
Health ministry data published on Saturday showed that 28,760 tests were carried out on April 24. That is likely to put further pressure on the government given its target of hitting 100,000 tests per day by the end of April is just days away.
Asked at the news conference when care home deaths would peak, Stephen Powis, the medical director of the National Health Service (NHS) in England, declined to predict a date, but said the care sector would benefit from more testing.
There are concerns that limited testing could mean a slow exit from lockdown and a worse hit for Britain’s economy, the world’s fifth largest.
Source:https:odt.co.nz/star-news