(Eagle News) – Coronavirus cases worldwide have surpassed 4 million, and the virus pandemic killing more than 279,000 people, as scientists in various parts of the world race to find a vaccine against COVID-19.
It’s a scale that the world has not seen before, and the World Health Organization is stressing that until a vaccine is developed, the world needs to stand together to beat this pandemic.
As of the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University’s virus dashboard, the confirmed COVID-19 cases globally have reached 4,023,218, with deaths reaching 279,303. This was as of Sunday, May 10, at 8:32 a.m. (Philippine time)
The United States is still the country with the most COVID-19 infections with more than 1.3 million confirmed cases, with deaths of at least 78,794.
This is followed by Spain with 223,578 cases and 26,478 deaths; Italy with 218,268 cases and 30,395 deaths; Russia with 198,676 cases and 1,827 deaths; France with 176,782 cases and 26,313 deaths; Germany with 171,324 cases and 7,549 deaths; Brazil with 156,061 cases and 10,656 deaths; Turkey with 137,115 cases and 3,739 deaths; and Iran with 106,220 cases and 6,589 deaths.
These top 10 countries in terms of number of cases all have more than 100,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections.
China where the virus first infected individuals is now ranked no. 11 in terms of number of cases. It has 83,976 cases with 4,637 deaths.
It is followed by Canada with 68,918 cases and 4,823 deaths; Peru with 65,015 cases and 1,814 deaths; India with 62,808 cases and 2,101 deaths; and Belgium with 52,596 cases and 8,581 deaths.
On May 8, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remembered how the world beat the smallpox 40 years ago after nations united to fight the disease and find a vaccine for this.
“Smallpox is the first and, to date, the only human disease to be eradicated globally. Until it was wiped out, smallpox had plagued humanity for at least 3000 years, killing 300 million people in the 20th century alone. Its eradication stands as the greatest public health triumph in history,” he said.
“As the world confronts the COVID-19 pandemic, humanity’s victory over smallpox is a reminder of what is possible when nations come together to fight a common health threat,” he stressed.
(Eagle News Service)