More Than 102,000 Worldwide Deaths from Coronavirus So Far

By Isabel Saco

Geneva, Apr 12 (EFE).- The world has entered the second quarter mired in a nightmare that less than three months ago nobody thought could happen as a result of an epidemic that was – at that time – confined to China, but which now has killed at least 102,193, by the official count, with 97 percent of those deaths coming outside China.

The World Health Organization on Easter Sunday reported that the official number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus worldwide stands at 1,654,247, with the case load continuing to skyrocket – increasing by 65 percent in just the past nine days, when the 1 million threshold was reached, although some of that increase is due to the simple fact that more people are being tested for the virus.

The various figures from different sources being discussed in the media and on the social networks do differ somewhat, thus confusing the public, and the WHO is the only world authority that is receiving official information and figures directly from its 194 member states' governments about Covid-19 cases, and it is using its own specific criteria to create its ongoing tally of the pandemic's toll.

In less than three weeks, the focus of the epidemic has shifted from Europe to the United States, which now has almost one-third of the world's confirmed virus cases (more than 520,000) and the highest death toll (more than 20,000).

Spain is in the No. 2 spot in terms of confirmed cases and Italy in third, although the latter is in second place regarding its death toll.

Worldwide deaths from coronavirus hit 100,000 https://t.co/UWt7Q2o70M #7NEWS

— 7News Boston WHDH (@7News) April 10, 2020

In recent days, however, a modicum of cautious hope had emerged in both Spain and Italy as the curves of newly confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths had appeared to stabilize and even began to trend downwards, but the latest reports indicate that there has been a slight resurgence in cases in Spain, while in Italy both figures have worsened again.

The situation in both countries once again reveals how difficult it is proving to be to halt the spread of the coronavirus, with the disease's infectious ability having surprised specialists, and it provides a somber view of what the coming weeks may hold for the US.

In addition, it shows that no prevention method seems to be able to shut down the spread of the disease, although the quicker assorted measures are taken – even if none of them fully do the job – the better the result.

Six weeks passed between the time when the first case in the US was confirmed until the federal government took drastic measures to confront the danger, a delay the consequences of which US residents are paying for now with their lives.

President Donald Trump has been suggesting that he will announce that at least certain parts of the country – presumably those where virus cases have not yet emerged in large numbers – can cancel their state-ordered lockdowns and resume economic activities by May 1, this after creating a special working group that will suggest to him how to go about it.

During this critical period, with more than two-thirds of the world labor force idled amid full or partial quarantines, the WHO is doing what it can to get political leaders to put healthcare measures ahead of economic activity in deciding whether to lift containment measures, since a resurgence in the case load could result if the quarantines are lifted too quickly, and this – by all accounts – would create an even worse catastrophe.

Experts say that the first element that any government must be able to guarantee before it can safely lift its quarantine is that the spread of the virus has been brought under control and the risk of new outbreaks is minimized, in particular in places that have a high percentage of elderly citizens.

Worldwide deaths from coronavirus hit 100,000. Experts say the true number is higher https://t.co/7yJbejkAZT pic.twitter.com/Ucd4Xfzh9Q

— Global Issues Web (@globalissuesweb) April 10, 2020

The resumption of school classes – which some countries have already cancelled for the rest of the school year – and work activities must be delayed until effective measures are in place at schools and worksites to prevent new outbreaks.

The risk from abroad must also be well-managed when countries decide to reopen their borders to international ground and air traffic, so that infected travelers can be properly checked and monitored to prevent them from bringing in “imported” cases of the virus.

Currently, no country in the world has been able to fulfill these requirements, to which the WHO adds another that probably is key for defeating the coronavirus in the medium and longer term: the commitment by communities to continue respecting and adhering to prevention measures including strengthened hygiene measures and social distancing to reduce the probability of infection.

Health authorities say that only in this way can governments contain the pandemic, which has already spread into the developing world, where many governments have quickly implemented generalized quarantine measures because they are well aware that their healthcare infrastructure cannot deal with the hundreds of thousands of cases that have arisen in Europe and the US.

© 2020 EFE News Services (U.S.) Inc.