Fresh Covid surge in US keeps gap with India at 4 million. Top 10 nations with most cases

The highest number of new Covid-19 cases from July 26 to August 1 was reported from the United States, followed by India, Indonesia, Brazil, and Iran.

The rapid spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant of coronavirus has been driving the surge in infections worldwide, with India and the United States being the major contributors. Over four million coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases were reported from July 26 to August 1, which was largely attributed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to a substantial increase in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Western Pacific Regions. But the number of fatalities related to the virus witnessed an 8% decline as compared to the previous week.

A health worker collects a swab sample from a traveller as they scan people as a precaution against Covid-19 at a railway station in Mumbai, India. (AP)

The highest number of new Covid-19 cases in that week was reported from the United States, followed by India, Indonesia, Brazil, and Iran. According to a Bloomberg report, the US reported 761,216 new infections in the week ended Sunday, the highest total since early February.

Among these five nations, Iran has been witnessing a continued surge, with the Islamic Republic recording nearly 41,000 fresh infections on Monday. The cumulative number of Covid-19 cases reported globally exceeded the sombre milestone of 200 million last week.

The sustained increase in global Covid-19 cases is driven by the Delta variant first identified in India which has now been reported from 135 countries, as per the UN health agency’s last epidemiological report. While the Alpha variant of coronavirus, first identified in England, has spread to 182 countries, the Delta variant has caused more concerns to authorities given its high transmissibility.

UK scientists have already warned that the people vaccinated against Covid-19 may transmit the Delta strain as easily as unvaccinated. Public Health England (PHE) said in a report that vaccination will not completely stop Delta variant transmission even as they provide high levels of protection.

"Some initial findings ... indicate that levels of virus in those who become infected with Delta having already been vaccinated may be similar to levels found in unvaccinated people," PHE said.

Here’s the list of the top 10 countries with the highest overall Covid-19 cases:

US - 35.94 million

India - 31.99 million

Brazil - 20.17 million

Russia - 6.4 million

France - 6.37 million

UK - 6.12 million

Turkey - 5.94 million

Argentina - 5.02 million

Columbia - 4.84 million

Spain - 4.62 million