Covid-19 tracker: Which countries have reversed the trend in daily cases
According to Johns Hopkins University tracker, six out of 10 worst coronavirus-hit nations have reported a drop in the daily number of fresh Covid-19 cases.
Medical workers in protective suits push a patient on a stretcher in Rome, Italy. (Reuters)
Even as the global coronavirus infections crossed 1.4 million on Wednesday, with the death toll at 82,119, the number of new cases each day appears to be falling in some nations. According to Johns Hopkins University tracker, six out of 10 worst coronavirus-hit nations have reported a drop in the daily number of fresh Covid-19 cases.
These include Italy, Spain, the United States, Iran, Netherlands and Germany. Interestingly, Italy and Spain, which were COVID-19 hotspots a couple of weeks ago, appear to be succeeding at “flattening the curve”. Follow LIVE Updates
Strict lockdown measures have seen European countries like Italy, Spain, Germany and Netherlands managing to slow the spread of new coronavirus cases while the US, which has been panned for a slow response, has now become the centre of the pandemic, with nearly 4 lakh cases and over 12,700 deaths.
READ | Bangladesh’s COVID-19 fatality rate is double that of global average
Along with social distancing measures, “flattening the curve” reduces the burden on the healthcare system by keeping the peak of hospitalisations (and potential deaths) lower and more spread out so that resources aren’t overwhelmed.
“When a country has fewer new COVID-19 cases emerging today than it did on a previous day, that’s a sign that the country is flattening the curve,” explains Johns Hopkins University.
COVID-19 outbreak evolution of the 10 most affected countries. (Source: Johns Hopkins University tracker)
Spain – 141,942 cases, 14,045 deaths
Spain, which has been under lockdown since March 15, has reported 141,942 cases, surpassing Italy, the worst-hit among other nations. Spain also ranks second in number of deaths after Italy, with 14,045 fatalities.
(Source: Johns Hopkins University tracker)
However, on the brighter side, following a peak in daily cases on March 24, when more than 9,000 cases were reported, the daily increase in new infections has continued to drop in recent days. The development comes 66 days after the first case was reported in Spain on February 1.
From April 1, Spain saw a drop in daily cases for five consecutive days, with authorities saying they were confident in the downward trend.
Italy – 1,35,586 cases, 17,127 deaths
(Source: Johns Hopkins University tracker)
On lockdown for the fifth week, Italy, the hardest-hit country of all, has reported over 17,127 deaths and is third on the list in the number of cases, with 1,35,586 people testing positive. However, a silver lining is that new cases have dropped to a level not seen since the early weeks of the outbreak, which was first reported on January 31.
The number of infections peaked in Italy on March 20, with more than 6,000 new cases reported that day. From March 29 and 30, Italy saw a drop in daily cases for two consecutive days. Since then, the number of daily cases has stayed between 4,000 and about 4,800.
“Finally it seems we are beginning to see a lessening of new cases after a plateau,” AP quoted Giovanni Rezza, director of the infectious-disease division of Italy’s national health institute, as saying.
Germany – 107,663 cases, 2016 deaths
(Source: Johns Hopkins University tracker)
Germany, which has been under a lockdown since March 22 and became the fourth country to top 100,000 cases, plans to return to normalcy on April 19, with the country appearing to flatten its curve. So far, the number of confirmed cases in Germany stand at 107,663, while the death toll has risen to 2016.
At 6,933 cases, Germany reported the maximum fresh infections on March 27 and again on April 2 it touched 6922 cases.
However, since then it has seen a drop in its tally for six consecutive days, with the number of cases staying between 3200 to 4600. According to Reuters, Germany is planning to implement a list of steps, including mandatory mask-wearing in public and limits on gatherings after April 19.
Netherlands – 19,709 cases, 2101 deaths
(Source: Johns Hopkins University tracker)
Similar to Germany, when looking at the graph of the virus’ spread over time reported by JHU, Netherlands is also starting to flatten the curve even though it has one of the world’s highest mortality rates from the pandemic at over 2000. So far, the Netherlands, which has imposed “targeted lockdown” and embraced the idea of herd immunity, has reported 19,709 cases.
After reporting the first case of COVID-19 40 days ago on February 27, new cases peaked in the Netherlands on March 27, when it reported 1179 infections. After that, for eight consecutive days, the European country has seen a decline in daily cases, which has hovered between 900 to 1100.
United States – 4 lakh cases, 12,700 deaths
(Source: Johns Hopkins University tracker)
The US, which has more confirmed cases than any other country at nearly 4,00,000, has emerged as the hotspot of the coronavirus, with some parts of the country, like California, showing evidence of flattening the curve.
After reporting the maximum new cases on April 4 at 33,264, the daily infections have dipped for four consecutive days now and have hovered between 28,222 to 29,000.
The number of deaths in the US crossed 12,700, with a record 1,900 fatalities in a single day on Tuesday. Only some states like Califoirnia had issued “stay at home” orders as early as March 19, followed by New York and a majority of the states. President Donald Trump has recently warned of a “hell of a bad two weeks” to come.
Iran – 62,589 cases, 3872 deaths
(Source: Johns Hopkins University tracker)
Ever since March 30, when cases peaked at 3,186 within 24 hours, Iran, one of the worst-hit countries in the Middle East, has reported a steady decline in daily new infections for eight consecutive days. From April 1, new cases have stayed between 2000 to 2750 even as the leadership has closed schools, universities and shrines, and banned cultural and religious gatherings while shying of imposing a complete lockdown so far.
According to the John Hopkins University data, Iran is ranked seventh in terms of number of cases (62,589) and sixth in terms of fatalities (3872). Iran, which reported its first COVID-19 case 48 days ago on March 19, is considering a partial easing of social distancing restrictions to reduce the stress on the economy, agencies have reported.
Here’s a quick Coronavirus guide from Express Explained to keep you updated: What can cause a COVID-19 patient to relapse after recovery? | COVID-19 lockdown has cleaned up the air, but this may not be good news. Here’s why | Can alternative medicine work against the coronavirus? | A five-minute test for COVID-19 has been readied, India may get it too | How India is building up defence during lockdown | Why only a fraction of those with coronavirus suffer acutely | How do healthcare workers protect themselves from getting infected? | What does it take to set up isolation wards?
Share
