WASHINGTON: The coronavirus pandemic was still raging across the world, posing a test for countries and regions, as the global number of confirmed cases increased to 937,567, according to the latest update by the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE).
As of Thursday morning, the CSSE data showed that that global death toll stood at 47,226 The numbers came only a day after global COVID-19 cases hit the 800,000 mark, reports Xinhua news agency.
“In the next few days we will reach 1 million confirmed cases, and 50,000 deaths,” World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a daily briefing on Wednesday.
“As we enter the fourth month since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am deeply concerned about the rapid escalation and global spread of infection,” the WHO chief said. As per the CSSE data, the highest number of cases in the world was recorded in the US at 216,515, while Italy accounted for the largest death toll at 13,155. The pandemic was showing no sign of abating in Europe, where the confirmed cases were approaching 500,000 and the death toll swelled to 30,000 on Wednesday.
Spain became the third country with the highest number of cases at 104,118 on Wednesday, after the US and Italy (110,574).
In Italy, a further 727 deaths from COVID-19 were reported in the 24 hours from Tuesday to Wednesday, taking the death toll to 13,155.
But that was the lowest daily tally of fatalities since March 26. In France, 509 more COVID-19 patients died in the past 24 hours, bringing the death tally to 4,032 on Wednesday, said General Director of Health Jerome Salomon.
The cumulative number of infection cases in the country rose to 57,763. Across the Atlantic, the US became the first nation with more than 200,000 COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, according to a new tally from Johns Hopkins University.
It has recorded a total of 5,119 deaths.
Meanwhile, UN agencies continued to help countries contain the virus and limit its social-economic impact. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it has provided $78.8 million in responses to the pandemic.
It includes $75 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), with the rest coming from country-based, pooled funds. Programs in 15 countries have been supported through these funds and additional countries were being identified under the global CERF allocation of $60 million — one of the largest ever made.
So far, according to the OCHA, close to $374 million in donor funds have been made available for the global plan.
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