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Covid-19: What you need to know today
According to worldometers.info, the world saw 343,386 new cases on Wednesday; according to the New York Times database, the number was marginally higher, 351,107.
October 7 saw a new record for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19): the highest number of daily cases around the world. According to worldometers.info, the world saw 343,386 new cases on Wednesday; according to the New York Times database, the number was marginally higher, 351,107. Countries may be seeing waves – the first wave seems to be over in India, and the number of daily cases has dipped – but the number of daily cases around the world continues to rise, powered, in many cases, by second waves that are, especially in some countries, steeper than the first. The world has seen around 36 million cases of Covid-19, and the numbers do not appear to be going down. Indeed, according to Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Centre, seven of the 10 countries with the highest number of daily cases currently are continuing to see a rise in their seven-day averages, an indication that case numbers are headed up in these.
The 10 countries currently with the highest number of daily cases are: India, the US, Brazil, the UK, France, Argentina, Russia, Mexico, Spain, and Colombia. Among these, only India, Brazil, and Argentina are witnessing a fall in their seven-day averages (of daily cases). The rest are seeing a rise (including a sharp rise in some). Together, according to worldometer, these 10 countries accounted for 238,746 new cases of Covid-19 on October 7, or 70% of the world’s cases that day.
As an aside, that level of concentration shouldn’t surprise anyone: most Covid-19 cases have come from a few countries. The three countries worst affected by the pandemic, the US, India, and Brazil, account for 54% of all global cases so far (they also account for 44% of all deaths). And the top 10 countries by cases (marginally different from the top 10 countries based on current daily cases) account for 71% of all cases seen thus far. The countries in this list are: the US, India, Brazil, Russia, Colombia, Spain, Argentina, Peru, Mexico, and South Africa.
To return to the list of countries that are currently seeing the most cases, the seven whose seven-day average (of daily cases) is on the rise again account for 47% of daily cases in the top-10, and a third of all daily cases in the world on October 7. This is perhaps an indication that there will be no letting up in the increase in new cases around the world, even as countries in the northern hemisphere prepare for an onslaught of cases expected in the coming winter months.
According to worldometer, the seven-day average of daily cases on October 7 was 304,879, the highest it has ever been. There have been some dips in the trajectory of this metric over the months, but none very sharp; a fall in cases in one region has usually been more than offset by a rise in another.
These numbers establish a simple truth: it isn’t over yet. As cities and states and countries open up, it’s sometimes easy to forget or ignore the looming threat in the background. The continuing global march of the coronavirus disease reminds us of the severity of this threat. Election season has kicked off in India –the assembly elections in Bihar and bypolls in several states will be held shortly. The Union home ministry on Thursday allowed, with immediate effect, open-air political rallies in 12 poll-bound states (they were previously allowed from October 15). It’s also the festive season in India with what is arguably the country’s biggest festival, Deepavali, in mid-November. Restaurants are open. Cinemas will open soon. But India continues to see an average of 75,000 cases a day (the seven-day average on October 7 was 74,623).
The Jan Andolan (public campaign) launched by the government on Thursday needs to be seen in this context.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter: “Let us always remember: wear a mask; wash hands; follow social distancing; practice “Do Gaj Ki Doori” [a distance of six feet]; together, we will succeed.”
I couldn’t agree more.
