Covid-19 Factoid: What today's coronavirus data trends tell us

Business Standard lists five clear data trends to help you gauge the extend of the coronavirus crisis

Trying to make sense of a pandemic can be daunting, more so when it is in the middle of an ‘infodemic’. The coronavirus pandemic, or Covid-19, appears to be a rapidly unfolding tragedy, and the barrage of information thrown around daily hardly makes gauging its extent any easier.

These five data trends will bring you up to speed and help you understand the crisis better:

#1. Just four countries account for over half the Covid-19 cases globally

With the situation worsening gradually, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases globally rose to 577,531 on March 27 (as at 11 pm). The US overtook China to become the most affected country in the world by number of cases. The US and China, and the next two most affected – Italy and Spain – together accounted for 326,322 cases, or 56.5 per cent of the global total.

These four nations are home to a quarter of the world’s population and control two-fifths of the global economy, considering their share of the world gross domestic product (GDP). While China alone makes up a fifth of the global population, the US accounts for almost 25% of the world GDP



#2. Covid-19 impact most fatal in Italy and Spain

Italy and Spain have been the most affected by Covid-19, not only by absolute number of cases but also in the number of deaths. Going by the numbers on March 27 (as of 11 pm), the death toll for Italy and Spain stood at 9,134 and 4,934, respectively. Taking into account their population, these fatalities translate into 151 per one million of population in Italy, and 106 per million in Spain. The next two most affected in terms of lost lives after Spain (leaving out China, where the virus originated) are Iran (2,378) and France (1,696).

#3. Is Turkey another Italy in the making?

Turkey recorded its first coronavirus case only on March 11, but the number of cases and deaths there have been growing rapidly since. As of March 27 (11 pm), Turkey had registered 5,698 cases, with more than 2,000 new cases in a single day, and the death toll in the country due to Covid-19 stood at 92. At this rate, Turkey is doubling the Covid-19 infected cases each day. By comparison, the number of Covid-19 cases in India is doubling every 3.5 days.

#4. US still trailing in Covid-19 testing

The US, which has exceeded China to become the most Covid-19-affected nation by number of cases, is still far behind in terms of number of tests conducted. The US has so far conducted 313 tests per million of its population. By comparison, the same ratio for China and Italy stands at more than 2,800 and 3,499 tests per million population. India currently has 18 tests per million of population, according to the latest data available as on March 27.

#5. In South India, this district has a Covid-19 positive case every two sq km

Kerala now is the state most affected by coronavirus in India. As on March 27, it had registered 129 cases, 45 of which were logged in just one district — Kasargod. On Friday alone, the state saw 39 new Covid-19 cases, of which 34 were from this one district. One of Kerala’s 14 districts and having a population of around 1.3 million, Kasaragod has been under a total lockdown since March 21.