COVID-19 Update

On the Global Pandemic for Week Ending April 25

Number of Cases Worldwide

As of April 25, the worldwide statistics for COVID-19 pandemic as reported by Worldometer were:

- Total reported cases: 2,855,699. This is 568,376 more than the total reported on April 18 of 2,287,323. The increase in cases in the previous week was 526,739

- Total active cases: 1,841,276. This is 297,259 more than the number reported on April 18 of 1,544,017. The increase in total active cases in the previous week was 286,462.

- Closed cases: 1,014,423. This is 271,117 more than the number reported on April 18 of 743,306. This compares to an increase in the previous week of 233,509.

- Deaths: 198,532. This is 41,064 more deaths than on April 18, when the toll was 157,468. This compares to an increase in the previous week of 55,983.

- Recovered: 815,891. This is up 230,053 from the April 18 figure of 585,838 and compares to an increase the previous week of 190,434 recoveries.

There were 105,825 new cases from April 23 to 24. This compares to the one-day increase in cases from April 16 to 17 of 86,496 new cases.

The disease was present in 210 countries and territories, as was the case the week prior. Of these, 68 had less than 100 cases, as compared to April 18 when there were 79 countries with less than 100 cases. A notable development is that there are now several countries and territories that no longer have active cases: Saint Lucia (15 cases, all recovered); Greenland (11 cases, all recovered); Mauritania (7 cases; 6 recovered; 1 death); Saint Barthélemy (6 cases, all recovered); Yemen (1 case, recovered).

The five countries with the highest number of cases on April 25 are noted below, accompanied by the number of cases and deaths per million population, which permits a more direct comparison between countries, as well as figures from the previous week on April 18:

USA: 926,530 (763,855 active; 110,432 recovered; 52,243 deaths) and 2,799 cases per million; 158 deaths per million
- April 18: 715,105 (613,375 active; 63,841 recovered; 37,889 deaths) and 2,160 cases per million; 114 deaths per million

Spain: 223,759 (105,149 active; 95,708 recovered; deaths 22,902)
and 4,786 cases per million; 490 deaths per million
- April 18: 191,726 (96,886 active; 74,797 recovered; 20,043 deaths) and 4,101 cases per million; 429 deaths per million

Italy: 192,994 (106,527 active; 60,498 recovered; deaths 25,969) and 3,192 cases per million; 430 deaths per million
- April 18: 175,925 (107,771 active; 44,927 recovered; 23,227 deaths) and 2,910 cases per million; 384 deaths per million

France: 159,828 (94,090 active; 43,493 recovered; deaths 22,245) and 2,449 cases per million; 341 deaths per million
- April 18: 147,969 (94,868 active; 34,420 recovered; 18,681 deaths) and 2,267 cases per million; 286 deaths per million

Germany: 155,054 (39,466 active; 109,800 recovered; 5,788 deaths) and 1,851 cases per million; 69 deaths per million
- April 18: 142,569 (52,764 active; 85,400 recovered; 4,405 deaths) and 1,702 cases per million; 53 deaths per million

The U.S. alone has about 32.44 per cent of all cases worldwide. Cases in Europe comprise 43.46 per cent of all cases worldwide.

Cases in Top Five Countries by Region

In Europe on April 25, the country with the fifth highest number of reported cases after the four listed above, is the UK:

UK: 143,464 (123,614 active; recovered N/A; 19,506 deaths) and 2,113 cases per million; 287 deaths per million
- April 18: 114,217 (98,409 active; recovered NA; 15,464 deaths) and 1,682 cases per million; 228 deaths per million

On April 16, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted that at least 15,000 people a day (or 105,000 people per week) have been flying into the UK without checks on their medical conditions, including travellers from countries where the pandemic is very serious such as the U.S., China, Spain and Italy. The government claimed that given the scale of the outbreak in the UK, such screening would not contribute to halting the spread of COVID-19.

Belgium, with a population of 11.46 million people, has the highest death rate in Europe (not including the tiny Republic of San Marino that is enclosed by Italy), with 518 deaths per million.

Another notable country is Sweden, which has purposefully avoided widespread lockdown and social distancing measures, with schools, restaurants and nightclubs remaining open, based on the premise that this will enable it to achieve herd immunity at a faster rate. Notably, compared to the other Scandinavian countries which have instituted such measures, Sweden has logged 217 deaths per million population, compared to 72 for Denmark, 37 for Norway and 34 for Finland.

In Eurasia on April 25:

Turkey: 104,912 (80,575 active; 21,737 recovered; 2,600 deaths) and 1,244 cases per million; 31 deaths per million
- April 17: 78,546 (68,146 active; 8,631 recovered; 1,769 deaths) and 931 cases per million; 21 deaths per million

Russia: 74,588 (67,657 active; 6,250 recovered; 681 deaths) and 511 cases per million; 5 deaths per million
- April 17: 32,008 (29,145 active; 2,590 recovered; 273 deaths) and 219 cases per million; 2 deaths per million

Kazakhstan: 2,564 (1,910 active; 629 recovered; 5 deaths) 137 cases per million; 1 death per million
- April 17: 1,546 (1,182 active; 258 recovered; 5 deaths) and 82 cases per million; 0.9 deaths per million

Azerbajian: 1,617 (516 active; 1,080 recovered; 21 deaths) and 159 cases per million; 2 deaths per million)
- April 17: 1,340 (1,064 active; 174 recovered; 66 deaths) and 132 cases per million; 1 death per million

Armenia: 1,677 (846 active; 803 recovered; 28 deaths) 566 cases per million; 9 deaths per million
- April 17: 1,201 (780 active; 402 recovered; 19 deaths) and 405 cases per million; 6 deaths per million

In West Asia on April 25:

Iran: 89,328 (15,485 active; 68,193 recovered; 5,650 deaths) and 1,064 cases per million; 67 deaths per million
- April 17: 79,494 (20,472 active; 54,064 recovered; 4,958 deaths) and 946 cases per million; 59 deaths per million

Saudi Arabia: 16,299 (13,948 active; 2,215 recovered; 136 deaths) and 468 cases per million; 4 deaths per million
- April 17: 7,142 (6,006 active; 1,049 recovered; 87 deaths) and 205 cases per million; 2 deaths per million

Israel: 15,148 (8,791 active; 6,159 recovered; 198 deaths) 1,750 cases per million; 23 deaths per million
- April 17: 12,982 (9,705 active; 3,126 recovered; 151 deaths) and 1,500 cases per million; 17 deaths per million

Qatar: 9,358 (8,419 active; 929 recovered; 10 deaths) and 3,248 cases per million; 3 deaths per million
- April 17: 4,663 cases (4,192 active; 464 recovered; 7 deaths) and 1,619 cases per million; 2 deaths per million

UAE: 9,281 (7,457 active; 1,760 recovered; 64 deaths) and 938 cases per million; 6 deaths per million
- April 17: 5,825 (4,695 active; 1,095 recovered; 35 deaths) and 589 cases per million; 4 deaths per million

Iran, which was hit hard early in the pandemic, with a peak level of 3,186 new cases per day on March 31, and a peak of 32,612 active cases on April 5, has succeeded in flattening the curve of infection. It now has about 1,200 new cases per day and 15,485 active cases. Iraj Harirchi, Iran's Deputy Minister of Health, announced in Tehran on April 25 that "There is a declining trend in corona disease in most provinces and this has been the result of effective actions by the people and the government," adding that "at a time when smart and gradual social distancing takes place, any violation can have serious and irreparable consequences" and that outbreaks worldwide are still likely and people should avoid unnecessary trips outside the home. Iran's Health Ministry tweeted a day earlier that "None of our provinces are in the red, but warnings remain, and the situation will not be considered normal at all."

The recovery in Iran is taking place despite U.S. sanctions and other hostile actions during the pandemic. Most recently, the U.S. moved to block Iran's request last month for a $5-billion IMF loan, to aid its response and recovery to the pandemic, Press TV reports.

In South Asia on April 25:

India: 24,942 (18,664 active; 5,498 recovered; 780 deaths) 18 cases per million; 0.6 deaths per million
- April 17: 13,385 (11,606 active; 1,777 recovered; 452 deaths) and 10 cases per million; 0.3 deaths per million

Pakistan: 12,227 (9,216 active; 2,755 recovered; 256 deaths) 55 cases per million; 1 death per million)
- April 17: 7,025 (5,125 active; 1,765 recovered; 135 deaths) and 32 cases per million; 0.6 deaths per million

Bangladesh: 4,998 (4,745 active; 113 recovered; 140 deaths) 30 cases per million; 0.9 deaths per million
- April 17: 1,838 (1,705 active; 58 recovered; 75 deaths) and 11 cases per million; 0.5 deaths per million

Afghanistan: 1,463 (1,228 active; 188 recovered; 47 deaths) and 38 cases per million and 1 death per million
- April 17: 906 (777 active; 99 recovered; 30 deaths) and 23 cases per million; 0.8 deaths per million

Sri Lanka: 440 (315 active; 118 recovered; 7 deaths) and 21 cases per million; 0.3 deaths per million
- April 17: 244 (160 active; 77; 7 deaths) and 11 cases per million; 0.3 deaths per million

In India, on April 23 the Indian Medical Association observed Black Day to protest the violence, social boycott and verbal abuse doctors and nurses who are treating coronavirus patients are experiencing. There are many reports of landlords throwing doctors and health workers out of their homes. They have become the new Untouchables. The anarchy, anxiety and violence permeating the society, unleashed by the ruling elite is showing its ugly face in many forms. One form it is taking is politicians of the ruling party and its affiliates blaming Muslims for coronavirus and inciting attacks against them. The Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) has asked the Indian government to take action against such politicians. Nearly 100,000  students are stuck in Kota Rajasthan from different parts of India. They are appealing to their respective governments for food and transportation.

In Southeast Asia on April 25:

Singapore: 12,693 (11,725 active; 956 recovered; 12 deaths) 2,170 cases per million; 2 deaths per million
- April 17: 5,050 (4,331 active; 708 recovered; 11 deaths) and 863 cases per million; 2 deaths per million

Indonesia: 8,607 (6,845 active; 1,042 recovered; 720 deaths) and 31 cases per million; and 3 deaths per million
- April 17: 5,923 (4,796 active; 607 recovered; 520 deaths) and 22 cases per million; 2 deaths per million

Philippines: 7,294 (6,008 active; 792 recovered; 494 deaths) and 67 cases per million; 5 deaths per million
- April 17: 5,878 (5,004 active; 487 recovered; 387 deaths) and 54 cases per million; 4 deaths per million

Malaysia: 5,742 (1,882 active; 3,762 recovered; 98 deaths) 177 cases per million; 3 deaths per million
- April 17: 5,251 (2,198 active; 2,967 recovered; 86 deaths) and 162 cases per million; 3 deaths per million

Thailand: 2,907 (309 active; 2,547 recovered; 51 deaths) 42 cases per million; 0.7 deaths per million
- April 17: 2,700 (964 active; 1,689 recovered; 47 deaths) and 39 cases per million; 0.7 deaths per million

The situation in Singapore continues to dramatically worsen due to the substandard living conditions for migrant workers, who are housed in overcrowded dormitories, where social distancing is virtually impossible and proper sanitation facilities and supplies have not been provided for the workers. Singapore now has the highest number of cases in southeast Asia. A September 2019 study in the Singapore Medical Journal reported that migrant workers face "significant barriers to accessing healthcare [...] furthermore, many had poor knowledge regarding their healthcare coverage and had experienced financial barriers in accessing healthcare. Migrant workers often bear the costs of, or face barriers, in outpatient care; inpatient insurance coverage may also be easily breached in the face of catastrophic illness." This state of affairs indicates that situation of these workers is likely to worsen as many are made ill from their living conditions during the pandemic.

Vietnam, a country of 95.54 million people that shares a border with China, continues to hold the number of reported cases steady at 268 since April 15, or three cases per million population. Of these, 160 entered Vietnam from abroad, accounting for 59.7 per cent, while 108 were infected in the community, accounting for 40.3 per cent. There remain 45 active cases, with 223 recoveries and no deaths.

In Ho Chi Minh City, a city with a population of 9 million people, the municipal Centre for Disease Control announced on April 23 that as of that day it would stop mass testing for COVID-19 at airports and train stations, having recorded no new cases for 16 days. Since testing began, a total of 13,861 samples had been taken from passengers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport and 5,599 from those at railway stations, the centre said, adding that 6,281 had also been screened for the virus at lodgings for factory workers. With these results as proof that the virus is no longer in the community, it has been deemed that it would be inefficient to continue testing. There have been 54 cases in the city, 52 of which have recovered, Tuoi Tre News reported. Of these, 45 continue to be monitored by city health workers, with 38 tested. Thirty-seven of these have tested negative, with one person still awaiting their results.

Nationally, the Vietnamese government decided on April 22 to ease social distancing restrictions due to the lower infection rate since April 4, allowing non-essential stores and services to reopen subject to local conditions. The public is still advised to avoid unnecessary trips outside the home. When they do go out, they are required to wear face masks and maintain a physical distance of at least two metres in any social interactions.

"Officials have publicly said that the country should be prepared to adapt to 'a new normal,' hinting at continuing life when the disease has not been completely eradicated given the absence of a proven drug and vaccine," Tuoi Tre News reports.

In East Asia on April 25:

China: 82,816 (838 active; 77,346 recovered; 4,632 deaths) 58 cases per million; 3 deaths per million
- April 17: 82,692 (116 active; 77,944 recovered; 4,632 deaths) and 57 cases per million; 3 deaths per million

Japan: 12,829 (10,954 active; 1,530 recovered; 345 deaths) 101 cases per million; 3 deaths per million
- April 17: 9,231 (8,106 active; 935 recovered; 190 deaths) and 73 cases per million; 2 deaths per million

South Korea: 10,718 (1,843 active; 8,635 recovered; 240 deaths) 209 cases per million; 5 deaths per million
- April 17: 10,635 (2,576 active; 7,829 recovered; 230 deaths) and 207 cases per million; 4 deaths per million

Taiwan: 429 (148 active; 275 recovered; 6 deaths) and 18 cases per million; 0.3 deaths per million
- April 17: 395 (223 active; 166 recovered; 6 deaths) and 17 cases per million; 0.3 deaths per million

This past, week, Japan surpassed south Korea for the second highest number of cases in the region. In Taiwan, a recent spike in cases was attributed to infected personnel on a military vessel that had returned from exercises with Palau.

In North America on April 25:

USA: 926,530 (763,855 active; 110,432 recovered; 52,243 deaths) and 2,799 cases per million; 158 deaths per million
- April 18: 715,105 (613,375 active; 63,841 recovered; 37,889 deaths) and 2,160 cases per million; 114 deaths per million

Canada: 43,888 (26,117 active; 15,469 recovered; 2,302 deaths) and 1,163 cases per million; 61 deaths per million
- April 18: 32,412 (20,523 active; 10,543 recovered; 1,346 deaths) and 859 cases per million; 36 deaths per million

Mexico: 12,872 (4,502 active; 7,149 recovered; 1,221 deaths) and 100 cases per million; 9 deaths per million
- April 18: 6,875 (4,204 active; 2,125 recovered; 546 deaths) and 53 cases per million; 4 deaths per million

In the United States, the death toll from COVID-19 doubled in just 10 days to become the highest in the world, Reuters reports. The number who have died reached 50,031 on the morning of April 24, according to tracking by Johns Hopkins University. This is out of about 875,000 USians who have contracted COVID-19 since the first case was recorded on February 6. But reports indicate that deaths are likely in fact higher, as most states only count hospital and nursing home victims and not those who died at home. About 40 per cent of the deaths have happened in New York state, the epicentre of the U.S. outbreak, followed by New Jersey, Michigan and Massachusetts.

In Central America and the Caribbean on April 25:

Dominican Republic: 5,749 (4,719 active; 763 recovered; 267 deaths) 530 cases per million; 25 deaths per million
- April 17: 3,755 (3,344 active; 215 recovered; 196 deaths) and 346 cases per million; 18 deaths per million

Panama: 5,338 (4,865 active; 319 recovered; 154 deaths) and 1,237 cases per million; 36 deaths per million
- April 17: 4,016 (3,809 active; 98 recovered; 109 deaths) and 931 cases per million; 25 deaths per million

Cuba: 1,285 (820 active; 416 recovered; 49 deaths) and 113 cases per million; 4 deaths per million
- April 17: 862 (664 active; 171 recovered; 27 deaths) and 76 cases per million; 2 deaths per million

Costa Rica: 687 (465 active; 216 recovered; 6 deaths) and 135 cases per million; 1 deaths per million
- April 17: 642 (564 active; 74 recovered; 4 deaths) and 126 cases per million; 0.8 deaths per million

Honduras: 591 (478 active; 58 recovered; 55 deaths) and 60 cases per million; 6 deaths per million
- April 17: 442 (391 active; 10 recovered; 41 deaths) and 45 cases per million; 4 deaths per million

In Cuba, the public health system is treating all seniors in their homes and those living in seniors' homes with a homeopathic mixture of remedies to prevent respiratory ailments such as coronavirus and dengue. It will follow this by going door to door to provide the treatment to all households. This week, the Vice Premier of Cuba in charge of the temporary working group dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic said that of the 1,085 day care centres on the island, 444 are functioning with the required staff in order to minimize the economic damage.

In South America on April 25:

Brazil: 54,043 (22,684 active; 27,655 recovered; 3,704 deaths) and 254 cases per million; 17 deaths per million
- April 17: 30,891 (14,913 active; 14,026 recovered; 1,954 deaths) and 145 cases per million; 9 deaths per million

Ecuador: 22,719 (20,777 active; 1,366 recovered; 576 deaths) and 1,288 cases per million; 33 deaths per million
- April 17: 8,225 (6,984 active; 838 recovered; 403 deaths) and 466 cases per million; 23 deaths per million

Peru: 21,648 (13,518 active; 7,496 recovered; 634 deaths) and 657 cases per million; 19 deaths per million
- April 17: 12,491 (6,097 active; 6,120 recovered; 274 deaths) and 379 cases per million; 8 deaths per million

Chile: 12,306 (5,805 active; 6,327 recovered; 174 deaths) and 644 cases per million; 9 deaths per million
- April 17: 8,807 (5,403 active; 3,299 recovered; 105 deaths) and 461 cases per million; 5 deaths per million

Colombia: 4,881 (3,653 active; 1,003 recovered; 225 deaths) and 96 cases per million; 4 deaths per million
- April 17: 3,233 (2,539 active; 550 recovered; 144 deaths) and 64 cases per million; 3 deaths per million

In Africa on April 25:

South Africa: 4,220 (2,668 active; 1,473 recovered; 79 deaths) and 71 cases per million; 1 death per million
- April 17: 2,605 (1,654 active; 903 recovered; 48 deaths) and 44 cases per million; 0.8 deaths per million

Egypt: 4,092 (2,723 active; 1,075 recovered; 294 deaths) and 40 cases per million; 3 deaths per million
- April 17: 2,673 (1,881 active; 596 recovered; 196 deaths) and 26 cases per million; 2 deaths per million

Morocco: 3,889 (3,232 active; 498 recovered;159 deaths) and 105 cases per million; 4 deaths per million
- April 17: 2,528 (2,122 active; 273 recovered; 133 deaths) and 68 cases per million; 4 deaths per million

Algeria: 3,127 (1,304 active; 1,408 recovered; 415 deaths) and 71 cases per million; 9 deaths per million
- April 17: 2,268 (1,137 active; 783 recovered; 133 deaths) and 52 cases per million; 8 deaths per million

Cameroon: 1,518 (768 active; 697 recovered; 53 deaths) and 57 cases per million; 2 deaths per million
- April 17: 996 (810 active; 164 recovered; 22 deaths) and 38 cases per million; 0.8 deaths per million

The total number of cases in Africa on April 25 is 30,192, up from about 20,000 the week before.

Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on April 20 informed that "Solidarity flights continue to ship lifesaving medical supplies across Africa to protect health workers, who are on the frontlines in the effort to save lives and slow the pandemic.

"Over the past week, WHO has been working closely with the World Food Programme to deliver masks, goggles, test kits, face shields and other medical equipment to 40 countries.

"This is part of the overarching drive to keep supply chains moving and ensure key supplies reach 120 priority countries."

In Oceania on April 25:

Australia: 6,695 (1,243 active; 5,372 recovered; 80 deaths) and 263 cases per million; 3 deaths per million
- April 17: 6,523 (2,639 active; 3,819 recovered; 65 deaths) and 256 cases per million; 3 deaths per million

New Zealand: 1,461 (325 active; 1,118 recovered; 18 deaths) and 303 cases per million; 4 deaths per million
- April 17: 1,409 (582 active; 816 recovered; 11 deaths) and 292 cases per million; 2 deaths per million

Guam: 136 (5 deaths)
- April 17: 135 (5 deaths)

French Polynesia: 57 (16 active; 41 recovered) and 203 cases per million
- April 17: 55 and 196 per million

New Caledonia: 18 (1 active; 17 recovered)
- April 17: 18 (4 active; 14 recovered)

(With files from WHO, Euractiv, Tuoi Tre News, Reuters)


This article was published in

Volume 50 Number 14 - April 25, 2020

Article Link:
: On the Global Pandemic for Week Ending April 25


    

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