Covid-19 Factoid: Some worrying signs from India, Qatar and elsewhere

While India has seen its biggest single-day jump in cases, cases being added daily in Qatar has nearly doubled; the global death toll has taken just 15 days to rise from 100,000 to 200,000

The global tally of coronavirus infections is nearing the three-million mark, and more than 200,000 people have already succumbed to infections. The number of positive cases at present stands at 2,940,257, while 841,966 patients have recovered fully. The US, the most affected country in this pandemic, accounts for over 30 per cent of all confirmed cases, and a little over 25 per cent of the global death toll.

In India, now there are 26,917 reported cases, and there have been 826 deaths. Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Delhi account for a little over 50 per cent of all confirmed cases in the country.

Here are some data trends to help you understand the current pandemic situation better:

1. Addition of 100,000 to the global death toll took just 15 days

The total number of fatalities globally has seen a sharp rise in the past fortnight. While the first 100,000 deaths had taken place in a little over 70 days, the second has come in just 15 days. In the first it was Italy that had contributed the most last month, but in the second the US surpassed all other countries with a whopping death toll of over 50,000.

2. Qatar is West Asia is witnessing a worrying surge in number of daily new cases

In the past five days, the number of cases added daily to Qatar’s total has surged from 500-odd to more than 900. The country has 10,287 cases at present, and 10 fatalities. In fact, it has more cases per million population than Italy, France, and the US.

3. India saw the biggest ever spike in daily new case additions

At 1,975, India on Sunday saw its biggest single-day spike in number of confirmed coronavirus cases. The country has seen its total tally doubling in just about 10 days to now stand at nearly 27,000. Maharashtra’s 7,628 cases are still more than any other Indian state. Likewise, 300-plus death toll reported in Maharashtra is the highest among all states.