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COVID-19 Update On the Global Pandemic for Week Ending May 2Number of Cases WorldwideAs of May 2, the worldwide statistics for COVID-19 pandemic as reported by Worldometer were: - Total reported cases: 3,426,382. This is 570,683 more than the total reported on April 25 of 2,855,699. The increase in cases in the previous week was 568,376. - Total active cases: 2,091,944. This is 250,668 more than the number reported on April 25 of 1,841,276. The increase in total active cases in the previous week was 297,259. - Closed cases: 1,334,438. This is 320,015 more than the number reported on April 25 of 1,014,423. This compares to an increase in the previous week of 271,117. - Deaths: 240,488. This is 41,956 more deaths than on April 25, when the toll was 198,532. This compares to an increase in the previous week of 41,064. - Recovered: 1,093,950. This is up 278,059 from the April 25 figure of 815,891 and compares to an increase the previous week of 230,053 recoveries. There were 94,550 new cases from April 30 to May 1. This compares to the one-day increase in cases from April 23 to 24 of 105,825 new cases. The disease was present in 212 countries and territories, up from 210 the week prior. Of these, 63 had less than 100 cases, as compared to April 25 when there were 68 countries with less than 100 cases. There are four countries/territories without active cases, down from six the previous week. They are the Malvinas (13 cases, all recovered), Greenland (11 cases, all recovered); Saint Barthélemy (6 cases, all recovered); Anguilla (3 cases, all recovered). The five countries with the highest number of cases on May 2 are noted below, accompanied by the number of cases and deaths per million population: USA: 1,131,030 (903,714 active;
161,563 recovered;
65,753 deaths) and 3,417 cases per million; 199
deaths per
million Spain: 242,979 (75,714 active;
142,441 recovered;
24,824 deaths); 5,197 cases per million; 531
deaths per
million Italy: 207,428 (100,943 active;
78,249 recovered;
28,236 deaths) and 3,431 cases per million; 467
deaths per
million UK: 177,454 (149,600 active;
recovered N/A; 27,510
deaths) and 2,614 cases per million; 405 deaths
per million France: 167,346 (92,540 active;
50,212 recovered;
24,594 deaths) and 2,564 cases per million; 377
deaths per
million The U.S. alone has about 33.28 per cent of all cases worldwide as compared to 32.44 on April 25. Cases in Europe comprise 41.16 per cent of all cases worldwide, as compared to 43.46 on April 25. A notable change is that the UK is now the country with the third highest number of reported cases, worldwide, whereas the week before it was the fifth highest in Europe. This is the result of the rate of new infections in the UK remaining relatively stable, while the rate of new cases and total number of active cases in Spain, Italy and France have noticeably declined. Cases in Top Five Countries by RegionIn Europe on May 2, the country with the fifth highest number of reported cases after the four listed above, is Germany: Germany: 164,077 (30,441
active; 126,900 recovered;
6,736 death) and 1,958 cases per million; 80
deaths per
million In the UK, nearly 130 Members of Parliament have signed on to a letter that raises concerns about the increased coronavirus risk posed by allowing non-essential workplaces, including construction sites, to stay open. The British and Irish trade union Unite estimates that only around a quarter of the UK's construction sites have suspended work amid the pandemic. The union has called for tougher measures to be taken to enforce safety, and to ensure that workers are not compelled to work on non-essential projects. "There are a number of projects that are critical infrastructure like building hospitals, but others, like luxury flats being built, are not critical in nature," said Ian Woodland, Unite's national construction officer. Construction workers in the UK are often self-employed, irregularly employed by agencies, or employed by subcontractors, conditions which may result in them being left out of paid furlough schemes or not receiving government subsidies for the unemployed. This precarity can have dangerous consequences, Unite points out. "Blacklisting has been a problem in the UK as well, with workers afraid to raise issues due to the precarity of their job," Woodland says. "They could get a tap on the shoulder and be told they're not needed on site anymore. So there's a possibility that health and safety issues are not being reported as a result." Unite is calling for increased medical facilities on worksites, free coronavirus testing and treatment, reduced workforces and a higher number of shifts to facilitate social distancing, and for workers to be able to speak out without reprisal about risky conditions. In Eurasia on May 2: Turkey: 122,392 (65,326 active;
53,808 recovered; 3,258
deaths) and 1,451 cases per million; 39 deaths per
million Russia: 114,431 (100,042
active; 13,220 recovered;
1,169 deaths) and 784 cases per million; 8 deaths
per
million Kazakhstan: 3,597 (2,650
active; 922 recovered; 25
deaths) and 192 cases per million; 1 death per
million Armenia: 2,148 (1,138 active;
977 recovered; 33 deaths)
and 725 cases per million; 11 deaths per million Uzbekistan: 2,086 (865 active;
1,212 recovered; 9
deaths) and 62 cases per million; 0.3 deaths per
million In Turkey, more than 15,000 construction workers in Istanbul have been let go from their jobs on large projects. Most were laid off without receiving any compensation, during one two-week period in March as sites began halting operations or reducing their workforces, the construction workers' union Dev-Yapi-Is says. The union estimates that around 295,000 people are employed in construction in Istanbul, and more than a million countrywide. Workers and labour advocates say those who remain employed have been offered few protections against coronavirus in an already-dangerous occupation where it is difficult to enforce social distancing. "Masks are distributed at some construction sites, but not many. Both knowledge about how to use these masks and especially the number available, are very insufficient. No other precautions are taken," says Dr. Ercan Duman, a member of the Occupational Health and Workplace Medicine Commission of the Istanbul Chamber of Physicians. A recent report by the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DISK), which includes Dev-Yapi-Is, indicates that DISK members have tested positive for COVID-19 at a rate three times higher than the average rate per 1000 people tested among the general public in Turkey. A directive for workers to sit apart while eating on construction sites is considered meaningless given the poor hygiene standards in makeshift canteens. Videos and photos circulated on social media by unions in Turkey and their supporters show workers crammed into cafeterias and sleeping 10 to a room in on-site dorms. "The street is cleaner. You live in filth. It's contrary to human dignity, one worker is quoted as saying," Istanbul construction worker Özkan told the newspaper Equal Times that when concerns are raised about workplace issues, employers first stall for time, then dismiss those who dared to complain. "After that, you're not going to be hired at any other worksite," he says. Unions in Turkey have reported that workers are also being fired if they don't sign declarations agreeing not to hold their employer responsible if they contract coronavirus while on the job. In Istanbul and other large cities, the vast majority of the construction workforce is made up of internal migrants from smaller towns and rural provinces. When workers were laid off earlier in the pandemic without compensation, many returned to their hometowns, potentially contributing to the spread of the virus. Since Turkey halted most intercity travel in late March, those who lose their jobs are marooned in the cities where they had worked, often with little financial or social support. In West Asia on May 2: Iran: 95,646 (13,237 active;
76,318 recovered; 6,091
deaths) and 1,139 cases per million; 73 deaths per
million Saudi Arabia: 24,097 (20,373
active; 3,555 recovered;
169 deaths) and 692 cases per million; 5 deaths
per million Israel: 16,101 (6,720 active;
9,156 recovered; 225
deaths) and 1,860 cases per million; 26 deaths per
million Qatar: 14,096 (12,648 active;
1,436 recovered; 12
deaths) and 4,893 cases per million; 4 deaths per
million UAE: 13,038 (10,384 active;
2,543 recovered; 111
deaths) and 1,318 cases per million; 11 deaths per
million The migrant workforce is very large in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, with many working in construction, and they are greatly affected by the pandemic. "Construction has been deemed an essential industry in the UAE and protections for non-citizens are being rolled back through allowances for employers to cut workers' wages," says Isobel Archer, a project assistant at the London-based Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC). Though the measures in the UAE call for obtaining the mutual consent of the employee, already-vulnerable migrant workers have little power to negotiate, she says. "Both countries have taken measures to close social venues and cancel or postpone events, so they're clearly aware that coronavirus is a huge public health issue," Archer adds. "That's why it's so alarming that there's this distinction being made in the UAE with migrant workers." Developer Emaar Properties recently announced that it would suspend major projects in Dubai, while Qatar has directed private-sector employers to restrict working hours on construction sites and increase health and occupational safety measures to protect against the spread of the coronavirus. But seven of 14 construction companies surveyed by BHRRC on what steps they are taking to protect migrant workers did not respond, and none of those that did had adequate plans in place, a BHRRC press release informs "The pandemic is really highlighting the need for reform on issues that have been repeatedly investigated by NGOs," Archer says. Concerns have long been raised about abuse and exploitation of migrant labour in Gulf countries, where workers on projects such as Qatar's 2022 World Cup facilities often live in cramped, unsanitary conditions on huge labour camps. In South Asia on May 2: India: 37,257 (26,027 active;
10,007 recovered; 1,223
deaths) and 27 cases per million; 0.9 deaths per
million Pakistan: 18,092 (13,324
active; 4,351 recovered; 417
deaths) and 82 cases per million; 2 deaths per
million Bangladesh: 8,238 (7,894
active; 174 recovered; 170
deaths) and 50 cases per million; 1 death per
million Afghanistan: 2,335 (1,957
active; 310 recovered; 68
deaths) and 60 cases per million; 2 deaths per
million Sri Lanka: 690 (521 active; 162
recovered; 7 deaths)
and 32 cases per million; 0.3 deaths per million In Southeast Asia on May 2: Singapore: 17,101 (15,817
active; 1,268 recovered; 16
deaths) and 2,923 cases per million; 3 deaths per
million Indonesia: 10,551 (8,160
active; 1,591 recovered; 800
deaths) and 39 cases per million; 3 deaths per
million Philippines: 8,772 (7,109
active; 1,084 recovered; 579
deaths) and 80 cases per million; 5 deaths per
million Malaysia: 6,071 (1,758 active;
4,210 recovered; 103
deaths) and 188 cases per million; 3 deaths per
million Thailand: 2,960 (187 active;
2,719 recovered; 54
deaths) and 42 cases per million; 0.8 deaths per
million In East Asia on May 2: China: 82,874 (599 active;
77,642 recovered; 4,633
deaths) and 58 cases per million; 3 deaths per
million Japan: 14,305 (10,875 active;
2,975 recovered; 455
deaths) and 113 cases per million; 4 deaths per
million South Korea: 10,774 (1,454
active; 9,072 recovered; 248
deaths) and 210 cases per million; 5 deaths per
million Taiwan: 429 (99 active; 324
recovered; 6 deaths) and 18
cases per million; 0.3 deaths per million In North America on May 2: USA: 1,131,030 (903,714 active;
161,563 recovered;
65,753 deaths) and 3,417 cases per million; 199
deaths per
million Canada: 55,061 (28,919 active;
22,751 recovered; 3,391
deaths) and 1,459 cases per million; 90 deaths per
million Mexico: 19,224 (5,942 active;
11,423 recovered; 1,859
deaths) and 149 cases per million; 14 deaths per
million In Central America and the Caribbean on May 2: Dominican Republic: 7,288
(5,588 active; 1,387
recovered; 313 deaths) and 672 cases per million;
29 deaths per
million Panama: 6,532 (5,768 active;
576 recovered; 188 deaths)
and 1,514 cases per million; 44 deaths per million Cuba: 1,537 (759 active; 714
recovered; 64 deaths) and
136 cases per million; 6 deaths per million Honduras: 804 (617 active; 112
recovered; 75 deaths)
and 81 cases per million; 8 deaths per million Costa Rica: 725 (364 active;
355 recovered; 6 deaths)
and 142 cases per million; 1 death In South America on May 2: Brazil: 92,109 (47,660 active;
38,039 recovered; 6,410
deaths) and 433 cases per million; 30 deaths per
million Peru: 40,459 (28,206 active;
11,129 recovered; 1,124
deaths) and 1,227 cases per million; 34 deaths per
million Ecuador: 26,336 (23,360 active;
1,913 recovered; 1,063
deaths) and 1,493 cases per million; 60 deaths per
million Chile: 17,008 (7,756 active;
9,018 recovered; 234
deaths) and 890 cases per million; 12 deaths per
million Colombia: 7,006 (5,141 active;
1,551 recovered; 314
deaths) and 138 cases per million; 6 deaths per
million In Africa on May 2: South Africa: 5,951 (3,453
active; 2,382 recovered; 116
deaths) and 100 cases per million; 2 deaths per
million Egypt: 5,895 (4,029 active;
1,460 recovered; 406
deaths) and 58 cases per million; 4 deaths per
million Morocco: 4,569 (3,315 active;
1,083 recovered; 171
deaths) and 124 cases per million; 5 deaths per
million Algeria: 4,154 (1,880 active;
1,821 recovered; 453
deaths) and 95 cases per million; 10 deaths per
million Nigeria: 2,170 (1,751 active;
351 recovered; 68 deaths)
and 11 cases per million; 0.3 deaths per million In Oceania on May 2: Australia: 6,767 (929 active;
5,745 recovered; 93
deaths) and 265 cases per million; 4 deaths per
million New Zealand: 1,479 (208 active;
1,252 recovered; 19
deaths) and 307 cases per million; 4 deaths per
million Guam: 142 (5 deaths) French Polynesia: 58 (7 active;
51 recovered) and 206
cases per million New Caledonia: 18 (1 active; 17
recovered)
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