THERE have been 27,032,617 confirmed cases of Covid-19, including 881,464 deaths, reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) as at September 7 with the highest number of cases coming from the Americas.
WHO reported that to date, the Americas have 14,117,712 confirmed cases.
South-East Asia has produced the second highest number with 4,787,009. Europe follows after with 4,508,390, Eastern Mediterranean – 2,010,549, Africa – 1,088,204 and Western Pacific -520,012.
Almost every country in the world has been infected with the virus but there are no recorded cases or deaths for three countries: North Korea, Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands located in the Arctic Ocean and Turkmenistan in Central Asia.
WHO in its weekly epidemiological report stated, “The WHO South-East Asia Region continued to show the highest increase in new Covid-19 cases in the past week, compared to the previous week, with over 600 000 new cases reported. A weekly increase in the number of new reported cases was seen in the European and Eastern Mediterranean Regions, while the African and Western Pacific Regions declined in both cases and deaths compared with last week. The Region of the Americas has seen a one per cent increase in reported cases, but a four per cent decrease in deaths, and continues to carry the highest burden of the disease globally, accounting for nearly half of all new cases reported in the past seven days.”
The United States of America and Brazil account for nearly three quarters of all Covid-19 cases in the Americas. Argentina, Colombia, and Peru account for the next largest proportion in new cases in the region. In the Bahamas, public health and social measures have been extended from mid-August as the island continues to experience an increase in cases (18 per cent) and deaths (15 per cent), the organisation stated.
And WHO added, “While the race to find safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines continues, African countries are signing up to a ground-breaking initiative, which aims to secure at least 220 million doses of vaccine for the continent, once licensed and approved. All 54 countries on the continent have expressed interest in COVAX, a global initiative which is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).”
The European Commission that has joined the COVAX Facility has contributed 400 million euros towards the venture.
