An Update on COVID-19 Globally

Courtesy of Boca Raton Tribune

By Jessica Fetrow

Nearly one month after being classified as an international pandemic by the World Health Organization, there have been 1,436,198 confirmed cases of COVID-19 recognized by WHO globally as of April 9. Coronavirus is currently known to be affecting 209 countries worldwide. While certain regions in the world have shown a significant decrease in daily cases and deaths , the respiratory virus remains an imminent and predominant threat to a majority of the global population. International efforts to “flatten the curve” of the pandemic have gradually been met with promising results, but not after a significant loss of life, with a confirmed 85,522 deaths reported worldwide as of April 9. Over three months after the emergence of COVID-19, the WHO risk assessment global level remains at “Very High.”

In China, the presumed source of the international outbreak, daily cases are slowly but surely decreasing in number. According to The National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, Tuesday, April 7 marked the first day since initial reports of the outbreak that no deaths from COVID-19 were reported. Furthermore, all new cases were imported, and there were no new domestic cases. Despite these promising numbers, mandatory restrictions remain firmly in place for a majority of the country, as to prevent any further influx of cases. 

With the numbers dwindling, China is at the forefront of a new predicament involving coronavirus: suppression. Daily statistics of new cases and deaths must be kept on a downward trend in order to prevent a second outbreak in China. Research Associate at the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College in London, Kylie Ainslie, spoke to NPR on the possibility of a second outbreak in China.

“We are very aware that there could still be a second wave in China. That is possible,” Ainslie said. “However, we haven’t seen that occurring yet.”

China also recently donated 1,000 ventilators to New York State, according to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

South Korea has maintained the most “ideal” model for “flattening the curve” by remaining proactive and efficient in nationwide testing. Since initial reports of the outbreak surfaced, the nation has taken extreme and immediate quarantine and testing procedures, but on Tuesday, April 7, Fox News reported that 51 patients who had been released from quarantine have tested positive for coronavirus for a second time. The total death toll as of April 9 in South Korea is 208. 

European countries are also suffering in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak. In Italy, civil protection officials reported a decrease in daily new cases and reported the fewest amount of new infections since March 13. Daily deaths due to the virus appear to be gradually falling as well, with a slight rise between April 5 at 525 new cases and April 6 at 636 new cases, but falling again on April 7 to 604 new cases. The total death toll as of April 9 in Italy is 18,279. The Italian government is considering gradually lightening the containment measures within weeks, but for now, they are still strictly enforcing the “stay at home” policies that have been in effect since March 10. 

“Finally, we’re starting to see a decrease in the number of new cases,” said Giovanni Rezza, head of the infectious diseases department at Rome’s Superior Health Institute. “We have to be cautious and await tomorrow or the day after before breathing a sigh of relief.”

Additionally, France has now become the fourth country to surpass a death toll of 10,000, with French Health Minister Olivier Véran telling reporters that France has not yet seen peak numbers. Spain has also seen a recent decrease in daily deaths reported from COVID-19, but saw a slight increase on Tuesday, with 743 people dying from the virus, the first increase in daily deaths in five days, with the total death toll reaching 15,447 as of April 9. Germany initially had one of the highest infected rates globally but has reported a “remarkably low” mortality rate at 2,607 deaths out of 118,235 cases as of April 9, attributed mostly to high numbers of ICU and hospital beds, as well as a rapid response to testing. 

“It’s becoming clear that the countries that rolled out rapid wide-scale testing are the ones that are also controlling the virus better,” said Nathan Grubaugh, an epidemiology professor at Yale School of Public Health.

As of April 9, 7,978 people have died in the United Kingdom due to the coronavirus, with approximately 65,077 cases confirmed. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hospitalized and moved to intensive care on April 6, and has been out of intensive care since April 9 in stable condition. Queen Elizabeth issued only her fifth address to the nation during a time of crisis.The CDC and WHO recommends frequent hand washing, social distancing, and staying informed as essential preventative measures. For more information, please visit www.who.int  or www.cdc.gov.