Over 700,000 coronavirus patients have died across the globe, US-based John Hopkins University reported on Wednesday, relying on data provided by international organizations, federal and local authorities.
According to the research university, the highest death toll was recorded in the United States (more than 156,700 deaths), Brazil (over 95,800) and Mexico (over 48,800). These countries account for almost 45% of all coronavirus deaths worldwide.
To date, more than 18.5 mln people have contracted the coronavirus across the globe with the US, Brazil and Mexico accounting for more than half of this figure, TASS reports.
Coronavirus death rate
The US, which records the biggest number of coronavirus deaths, is seeing a decline in deaths as compared with the figures of April and the first half of May. However, fatalities have been above 1,000 in the last days of July and early in August.
The death rate in Brazil has been at this level for the past ten weeks. As for Mexico, the third hardest hit country, the death rate from coronavirus dropped by 44% in the past two weeks, on the average exceeding 500 deaths daily.
The UK reports 46,300 coronavirus deaths, which puts it fourth on the list of fatalities worldwide. However, the death rate there has dropped ten times as compared with the peak figures of April, remaining at the level of about 100 deaths daily in the past two weeks.
Then goes India with almost 39,800 fatalities. The death rate has been growing there since the start of June, and has been exceeding 750 fatalities a day in the past two weeks.
Italy reports 35,100 coronavirus deaths, France - 30,300, while Spain - 28,400. After peaking in March-April, mortality there dropped to minimum figures in June, but it has been on the rise again over the past few days. In Peru, fatalities exceeded 20,000 people by Wednesday, placing it ninth on the list. Iran records over 17,400 fatalities.
Russia reports almost 14,500 coronavirus deaths as of now, Colombia reports 11,300 deaths, Belgium - over 9,800, while Germany - over 9,100 coronavirus fatalities.
Geographical spread of the virus
Most cases were recorded in the US (4,770,273). According to Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the US is "still knee-deep in the first wave" of the coronavirus pandemic.
Brazil is ranked second as to the number of cases (over 2.8 million), followed by India (over 1.9 million) and Russia (866,600).
North America and South America remain the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, since six countries of the region are among the ten most affected nations. Apart from the US and Brazil, the situation is unfavorable in Mexico with about 450,000 coronavirus infections and Peru (almost 440,000 cases). Chile reports about 362,000 coronavirus cases, Colombia - almost 335,000 infections. Argentina has been seeing a spike in cases in the past few weeks, with an overall number of infections exceeding 202,000 people. Ecuador reports over 87,000 coronavirus cases, followed by Bolivia (over 80,000 cases), the Dominican Republic (73,000), Panama (almost 68,000), Guatemala (51,500) and Honduras (43,000).
Asia is the second biggest coronavirus hot spot. India is the hardest hit in the region, and the situation is also difficult in Iran, which, according to authorities, is going through a second wave. With its 312,000 coronavirus cases reported as of Wednesday, it is the tenth on the list of ten most affected countries.
European nations, which were the hardest hit by coronavirus in spring and early in summer, have moved down the list. The UK is now placed 11th with 306,300 infections. Then goes Spain (297,000), followed by Italy (placed 15th with its 248,200 cases), Germany (placed 18th with over 211,200 coronavirus cases), and France, which is 20th on the list with 192,300 coronavirus cases.
The number of new cases has been on the rise in the past weeks in all of these countries, especially in Spain and France. Restrictions are back in place there. In France, wearing masks in the streets is compulsory now, while during the lockdown masks were to be worn only on public transport and in indoor areas.
Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and some other European countries are seeing a rise in infections, due to which the process of lifting quarantine measures is being suspended, or additional restrictions are imposed.
In late December 2019, Chinese officials informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.
