On the Global Pandemic for Week Ending June 13Number of Cases WorldwideAs of June 13, the worldwide statistics for COVID-19 pandemic as reported by Worldometer were: - Total reported cases: 7,774,990. This is 1,722,729 more than the total reported on June 13 of 6,052,261. This compares to the increase in cases in the previous week of 816,824. - Total active cases: 3,359,023. This is 252,107 more than the number reported on June 6 of 3,106,916. The increase in total active cases compared to the previous week was 97,238. - Closed cases: 4,415,967. This is 653,798 more than the number reported on June 6 of 3,762,169. This compares to an increase in the previous week of 719,586. - Deaths: 428,953. This is 30,367 more deaths than on June 6, when the toll was 398,586. This compares to an increase in the previous week of 31,299. - Recovered: 3,987,014. This is up 623,431 from the June 6 figure of 3,363,583 and compares to an increase the previous week of 688,287 recoveries. There were 141,973 new cases on June 12, a new all-time high, which compares to 130,529 reached June 5. The number of new daily cases ranged between 107,719 to 141,973 over the past week. Overall, these figures indicate an increasing rate of new and active cases over the previous week. The disease was present in 213 countries and territories, the same as the week prior. There are 29 countries/territories without active cases this week, up from 21 the previous week. They are New Zealand (1,504 cases 1,482 recovered; 22 deaths); Isle of Man (336 cases; 312 recovered; 24 deaths); Montenegro (324 cases; 315 recovered; 9 deaths); Faeroe Islands (187 cases, all recovered); Guadeloupe (171 cases; 157 recovered 14 deaths); Trinidad and Tobago (117 cases; 109 recovered; 8 deaths); Aruba (101 cases; 98 recovered; 3 deaths); French Polynesia (60 cases, all recovered); Macao (45 cases; all recovered); Timor-Leste (24 cases, all recovered); Laos (19 cases, all recovered); Fiji (18 cases, all recovered); Saint Kitts and Nevis (15 cases, all recovered); Greenland (13 cases, all recovered); the Malvinas (13 cases, all recovered); the Turks and Caicos (12 cases; 11 recovered; 1 death); the Seychelles (11 cases, all recovered); Montserrat (11 cases, 10 recovered; 1 death); Papua New Guinea (8 cases; all recovered); British Virgin Islands (8 cases; 7 recovered; 1 death); Caribbean Netherlands (7 cases; all recovered); St. Barth (6 cases, all recovered); Anguilla (3 cases, all recovered); Saint Pierre et Miquelon (1 case, recovered). The five countries with the highest number of cases on June 13 are noted below, accompanied by the number of cases and deaths per million population: USA: 2,118,693 (1,159,752
active; 842,068 recovered; 116,873 deaths) and
6,403 cases per million;
353 deaths per million Brazil: 831,064 (361,502
active; 427,610 recovered; 41,952 deaths) and
3,911 cases per million;
197 deaths per million Russia: 520,129 (238,659
active; 274,641 recovered; 6,829 deaths) and 3,564
cases per million;
47 deaths per million India: 310,760 (146,575 active;
155,290 recovered; 8,895 deaths) and 225 cases per
million; 6 deaths
per million UK: 292,950 (active and
recovered N/A; 41,481 deaths) and 4,316 cases per
million; 611 deaths
per million Of the 10 countries with the highest number of cases, the U.S. number of new cases remains similar to the previous week -- about 20,000 per day. In Russia the number of new daily cases has also been stable over the previous few weeks at about 8,500. In Brazil and India, the number of new daily cases is still rising sharply. Brazil, with more than 30,000 new daily cases in the past week, looks like it will reach about 1.1 million cases by next week. India which is adding more than 10,000 new cases per day, may reach 400,000 by next week. The European countries overall have had a marked decline in new daily cases and daily deaths. Beyond the absolute numbers, the number of cases and deaths per million population also shed light on how well or badly countries are doing. For example, Brazil's number of cases is high -- second only to the U.S. now -- at 831,064. But taking into account the size of its population (212,459,250) its rate of deaths at 197 per million is still lower than many European countries. Brazil's rate of deaths is also lower than Canada's 213 per million. Russia's rate of deaths is low (47 per million) in spite of it having the third highest number of cases worldwide. On the other hand, Belgium, the headquarters of prominent supranational institutions such as the EU and NATO, has a very high rate of deaths (833 per million), the highest in the world for any country with more than a million population. Reports from India indicate it now has the fourth highest number of cases. Given its large population this means that it has a relatively low number of cases and deaths per million. However, it is suspected that reporting may not be indicative of true numbers. Peru with the eighth highest number of cases in the world (220,749) -- almost twice as many as Canada's, and with more than double the number of cases per million than Canada -- still has a lower death rate of 191 per million than Canada. Cases in Top Five Countries by RegionIn Europe on June 13, the four other European countries with the highest number of reported cases after the UK, listed above, are Spain, Italy, Germany and France: Spain: 290,289 (active and
recovered N/A; 27,136 deaths) and 6,209 cases per
million; 580 deaths
per million Italy: 236,305 (28,997 active;
173,085 recovered; 34,223 deaths) and 3,908 cases
per million; 566
deaths per million Germany: 187,256 (6,493 active;
171,900 recovered; 8,863 deaths) and 2,235 cases
per million; 106
deaths per million France: 156,287 (54,341 active;
72,572 recovered; 29,374 deaths) and 2,395 cases
per million; 450
deaths per million In Spain, news agencies report that 104 passengers who landed in Spain in the past month have tested positive for COVID-19 despite travel restrictions. Most of these passengers were from the U.S. and Latin America. The head of Spain's health emergencies' committee Fernando Simón told journalists on June 11 that the 'imported' COVID-19 cases represented between 10 to 12 per cent of new infections in Spain since May 11. Spain is preparing to welcome tourists from Europe by July 1 (or earlier if an agreement is reached between Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his EU counterparts). At present, only Spanish citizens, legal residents and workers, those who have a cross-border job, or people from international organizations who have come to help with Spain's COVID-19 pandemic are allowed in. On June 11, the European Commission asked all EU countries to reopen their borders to all EU citizens as of Monday, June 15, a recommendation that was addressed in particular to Spain as "one of the countries that's dragging its heels the most in this regard," The Local reported. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has reiterated he will maintain the 14-day quarantine for people arriving in Spain at least until July 1. Regarding British tourists to Spain -- 18 million of whom visited in 2019 -- the Spanish government has said it will not consider a travel corridor with the UK, preferring instead a common EU criteria when it comes to tourism agreements. France will end special government powers brought in to deal with the coronavirus pandemic on July 10 though it will retain the ability to curb gatherings and freedom of movement for four months, Reuters reported on June 10. France passed "state of health emergency" legislation in March which gave the government the power to restrict civil liberties by decree without parliamentary approval. Current statistics indicate that the severity of the pandemic continues to lessen, despite the progressive lifting of lockdown measures, with shops, holiday resorts and tourist attractions slowly reopening. People are still being encouraged to wear face masks when outside and stay at least one metre apart while most employees are continuing to work from home where possible. France is now reported to have a surplus of facemasks. In Eurasia on June 13, Russia tops the list of five countries with the highest cases in the region, with the figures reported above, followed by: Turkey: 175,218 (21,338 active;
149,102 recovered; 4,778 deaths) and 2,079 cases
per million; 57 deaths
per million Armenia: 16,004 (9,659 active;
6,081 recovered; 264 deaths) and 5,401 cases per
million; 89 deaths per
million Kazakhstan: 14,238 (5,339
active; 8,829 recovered; 70 deaths) and 759 cases
per million; 4 deaths
per million Azerbaijan: 9,218 (3,989
active; 5,116 recovered; 13 deaths) and 910 cases
per million; 11
deaths per million In West Asia on June 13: Iran: 184,955 (29,477 active;
146,748 recovered; 8,730 deaths) and 2,204 cases
per million; 104
deaths per million Saudi Arabia: 123,308 (39,828
active; 82,548 recovered; 932 deaths) and 3,545
cases per million; 27
deaths per million Qatar: 78,416 (23,094 active;
55,252 recovered; 70 deaths) and 27,928 cases per
million; 25 deaths
per million UAE: 41,990 (14,941 active;
26,761 recovered; 288 deaths) and 4,248 cases per
million; 29 deaths
per million Kuwait: 35,466 (9,295 active;
25,882 recovered; 289 deaths) and 8,311 cases per
million; 68 deaths
per million Speaking at a meeting of Iran's National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the coronavirus in Tehran on June 13, President Hassan Rouhani says the country will restore the strict restrictions put in place in the first days of the pandemic if it is forced to do so for the sake of the people's safety. Discussing the situation in Iranian provinces with regard to the outbreak, President Rouhani said that many have passed the first infection peak and their situation is no longer an emergency, but several others are still about to pass it, raising concerns about a drop in people's observance of health protocols. "In the Persian month of Ordibehesht [April 20-May 21], people cooperated better in implementing heath guidelines and we witnessed a proper situation, but in the middle of the month of Khordad, the observance level decreased from about 80 to 20 percent; it could be worrying," Rouhani added. Iran reported its first COVID-19 infection cases in late February and soon afterwards introduced lockdown restrictions and social distancing measures to rein in the pandemic. In recent weeks, as the infection and mortality rates have declined, the government has eased certain restrictions and reopened businesses and public places. "All these re-openings are conditional on collective cooperation. If we are forced to, we will restore the restrictions. If a peak returns to a province, we have to restore the restrictions of the first weeks. If the health of the people in a city or a province is endangered, we have no option but to restore the restrictions. If we want the restrictions to reduce, we must observe all principles," Rouhani said. President Rouhani said that museums and historical sites will reopen on June 14 and shrines on June 15, while all workers will return to work on June 20. "The coronavirus had caused problems for us, but it also created opportunities. It mobilized all government branches, political parties and groups, forming a national coalition for health and livelihood, i.e. a national coalition for life. That is a great achievement," Rouhani said. "The experience gained over the past months tells us that we will prevail against both the coronavirus and sanctions if we stand together and join hands." Illegal U.S. sanctions on Iran have hampered its ability to adequately respond to the pandemic and prevented the country from purchasing life-saving medical items from abroad. In South Asia on June 13: India: 310,760 (146,575 active;
155,290 recovered; 8,895 deaths) and 225 cases per
million; 6 deaths
per million Pakistan: 132,405 (79,798
active; 50,056 recovered; 2,551 deaths) and 600
cases per million; 12
deaths per million Bangladesh: 84,379 (65,413
active; 17,827 recovered; 1,139 deaths) and 513
cases per million; 7
deaths per million Afghanistan: 24,102 (19,450
active; 4,201 recovered; 451 deaths) and 620 cases
per million; 12
deaths per million Sri Lanka: 1,882 (619 active;
1,252 recovered; 11 deaths) and 88 cases per
million; 0.5 deaths per
million In India on June 10 there were confirmed 12,375 new cases, an all-time high, while on June 11 there were 394 deaths, also an all-time high. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and New Delhi are the worst-hit states. India has so far tested more than 4.9 million people, with a daily capacity of more than 140,000. The increasing rate of daily new cases comes as the government moves forward with reopening restaurants, shopping malls, and places of worship in most of India after a lockdown that lasted more than two months. The government has already partially restored train services and domestic flights and authorized shops and manufacturing to reopen. Subways, hotels, schools, and colleges, however, remain closed nationwide. The number of new cases has soared since the government began easing restrictions. There has also been an increase in infections in rural India following the return of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who lost their jobs during the lockdown. Regarding the situation of India's workers, the global union IndustriALL reported on June 9 that unions are intensifying their struggle against the Modi government's failure to protect workers' interests during the COVID-19 lockdown and its aggressive attacks on workers' rights. A day of non-cooperation is announced for July 3. The unions are demanding: - A cash transfer of Rs. 7500 (U.S.$ 99.50) to
all
households below the income tax level for April,
May and June IndustriALL writes: "It is estimated that around 240 million workers have lost their livelihood. Although factories are restarting operations, many are taking on fewer workers and reducing their wages. "The ILO has warned that about 400 million people might be pushed into deeper poverty. Unions are demanding increased support for the rural employment scheme to create employment opportunities for the millions of migrant workers who have returned to their villages, and for similar schemes to in urban areas as well. "The government has used the pandemic to introduce anti-worker labour law changes, and to announce corporate friendly policy measures including privatization of public sector enterprises (PSEs), many of which serve critical national interests, public purpose and were established with enormous public fund. The announcement also included decisions to the pay benefits for 4.8 million central government employees and 6.8 million pensioners. "Unions underline that the government's U.S.$265 billion stimulus package is a cruel joke on working people. The actual relief package is paltry and a major chunk of the amount consists of loan guarantees to various sectors. "Dr. G Sanjeeva Reddy, President of Indian National Trade Union Congress and IndustriALL Executive Committee member, says: "'The government's insensitive handling of the lockdown and its anti-worker policy announcements show that it does not respect workers' rights and does not deserve the cooperation of working people. The inaction has caused untold misery to millions of workers. "'After the massive countrywide protest on May 22, we are now intensifying our protests with a call for non-cooperation on July 3 to ensure that the government address our demands.' "Valter Sanches, IndustriALL General Secretary, says: "'We are concerned that the Modi government is taking advantage of the pandemic to attack workers' rights and the anti-worker labour law changes must be withdrawn. The government should take urgent steps to protect the livelihood of millions of workers and engage in genuine social dialogue with the unions for solutions.' "'IndustriALL stands in solidarity with the Indian union movement and will take international solidarity actions to support their efforts.'" An example of how Indian employers are abusing workers during the pandemic is the situation of women garment workers at Euro Clothing Company ECC-2, India, a supplier to global fashion brands like H&M, who staged an overnight sit-in at the factory on June 8-9, protesting against the illegal lay-offs of 1,200 workers. On June 8, IndustriALL reported that "management at Euro Clothing Company, owned by Gokuldas Exports Group, announced a lay-off of 1,200 workers, in clear violation of the labour law. In Indian labour law, lay-off is an act by which there is no production and workers are paid 50 per cent of their salaries. According to the law, a permission from the government is needed for lay-offs in workplaces with more than 100 workers. "Union busting at the factory had begun a few weeks earlier. With the easing of the lockdown, industries were allowed to resume operations on May 5 and workers reported for duty, despite difficulties as public transport had not restarted. "Only 30 per cent of the workers were provided work. They were paid 50 per cent of the wages for the period they worked. No wages were paid at all during the lockdown to any of the workers of ECC-2. "During the night of May 30, management started removing machines without informing the workers or the union, and only stopped when workers gathered at the gate, blocking the removal. "However, management continued to remove machines, provided work only in the ironing section, and put up a notice that only 50 per cent of the workers would be provided work. Remaining workers would either be transferred to other factories of the group or laid off. "[...] The union says the actions are not business related; it is a clear case of union busting. The matter has now been brought before the labour department of the state government." IndustriALL General Secretary Valter Sanches stated, "We commend the courage of the workers fighting for their jobs. We strongly oppose the illegal actions of the management, especially as we see a trend to close unionized factories and retrench union members using the COVID-19 crisis as an excuse." Regarding the situation of India's millions of migrant workers, India's Supreme Court on June 9 ordered states to identify stranded migrant workers and transport them back to their hometowns within 15 days as the humanitarian crisis surrounding their movement has continued over weeks of the coronavirus lockdown. It also directed the state governments to consider withdrawing cases filed against the workers under the Disaster Management Act for lockdown violations, including crowding at rail stations, legal news website Live Law reported. The court also asked federal and state governments to formulate a scheme for providing employment to the migrants and establish help desks to give them jobs after mapping their skills, the report said. Al Jazeera reports, "A number of migrant deaths on the road have been reported, both from exposure to the sweltering heat and a lack of food and water." In Southeast Asia on June 13: Singapore: 40,197 (12,132
active; 28,040 recovered; 25 deaths) and 6,874
cases per million; 4
deaths per million Indonesia: 37,420 (21,553
active; 13,776 recovered; 2,091 deaths) and 137
cases per million; 8
deaths per million Philippines: 25,392 (18,612
active; 5,706 recovered; 1,074 deaths) and 232
cases per million; 10
deaths per million Malaysia: 8,445 (1,014 active;
7,311 recovered; 120 deaths) and 261 cases per
million; 4 deaths per
million Thailand: 3,134 (89 active;
2,987 recovered; 58 deaths) and 45 cases per
million; 0.8 deaths per
million Laos, after 59 consecutive days with no COVID-19 new cases, discharged its 19th and last patient, and without reporting any deaths, became the first country in Southeast Asia to declare itself free of COVID-19 on June 10. At a press conference, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith pointed out that this is an important victory, but in no way guarantees immunity against the virus, so he called on all institutions to work to prevent their spread. He stressed that the appropriate government measures and the responsibility with which the citizens fought the pandemic, together with the support of international organizations and friendly countries, allowed Laos to become the first nation in Southeast Asia to put the pandemic under absolute control. Sisoulith announced that his government will continue evaluating the epidemiological situation and will establish punctual preventive and control measures, in transit towards a 'new normalcy' that includes the progressive recovery of productive activities, economy and the social life in general. Laos was one of the nations in Southeast Asia that took the longest to fall into the whirlwind of the pandemic (with its first case on March 24), the Prime Minister said, but the immediate closure of the country to foreign visitors, other timely containment measures, isolation and prompt treatment of the infected prevented the spread of illness. Along with Vietnam and Cambodia, it has also had no deaths from COVID-19. In East Asia on June 13: China: 83,075 (74 active;
78,367 recovered; 4,634 deaths) and 58 cases per
million; 3 deaths per
million Japan: 17,332 (917 active;
15,493 recovered; 922 ) and 137 cases per million;
7 deaths per million South Korea: 12,051 (1,083
active; 10,691 recovered; 277 deaths) and 235
cases per million; 5
deaths per million Taiwan: 443 (5 active; 431
recovered; 7 deaths) and 19 cases per million; 0.3
deaths per million In North America on June 13: USA: 2,118,693 (1,159,752
active; 842,068 recovered; 116,873 deaths) and
6,403 cases per million;
353 deaths per million Mexico: 139,196 (20,981 active;
101,767 recovered; 16,448 deaths) and 1,080 cases
per million; 128
deaths per million Canada: 98,368 (30,930 active;
59,333 recovered; 8,105 deaths) and 2,607 cases
per million; 215 deaths
per million Although Mexico has now overtaken Canada for the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in North America, Mexico's population is more than three times Canada's. When that is factored in, Mexico has a much lower rate of COVID-19 cases (854 per million) than Canada's 2,513 per million, and for deaths as well (102 per million vs. 205). On June 9, news agencies reported that Canada and the United States are set to extend a ban on non-essential travel to late July. In the U.S., a report issued by the U.S. Labor Department on June 10 indicates that employers laid off 7.7 million workers in April, as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced thousands of jobs to close. In May, the federal unemployment rate dropped for the first time since the coronavirus sent the economy into a tailspin. Nevertheless, experts remark that, as of May, the country hadn't seen unemployment rise this sharply since 1948 when the federal government started measuring this kind of data. It is estimated that 21 million people remain out of work in the U.S. During the first three weeks of April, nearly 17 million people had filed initial claims for unemployment insurance, a figure far more than the peak during the Great Recession, back in 2009. The figures from April, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, also show that Nevada, Michigan, and Hawaii, in this order, are the worse hit by unemployment, while Connecticut is at the bottom of the list. Unemployment has impacted all sectors heavily -- however, leisure and hospitality record most job losses. April also saw a significant shift regarding gender statistics as the numbers show that the unemployment rate was 2.5 per cent higher for women than men. On June 10, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. passed the two-million mark. News reports indicate that the pandemic hotspots appear to be shifting from large urban centres like New York City and Chicago toward smaller, rural areas. States that have loosened restrictions have also seen resurgences in cases. "The one million most recent cases were added over the course of over a month after the U.S. surpassed a million confirmed cases on April 28. On average, the country has reported more than 20,000 cases a day since then," Global News reports. Twenty-one states reported weekly increases in new cases of COVID-19 as of June 10 -- Arizona, Utah and New Mexico all had increases of 40 per cent or more for the week ending June 7, compared with the prior seven days, according to a Reuters analysis. One June 6, 14 states recorded their highest-ever seven-day average of new cases since the start of the pandemic, according to data tracked by the Washington Post. Those states include Arizona, California, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi and Utah. These are among the states that have loosened pandemic restrictions. Global News reports that: "Arizona was among the first states to reopen in mid-May, and its cases have increased 115 per cent since then, leading a former state health chief to warn that a new stay-at-home order or field hospitals may be needed. California has put half its population on a watch list comprised of counties that have seen upticks. "Texas, which is also among those 14 states, has continually reported record-high hospitalizations due to the disease. On Tuesday [June 9], health officials reported more than 2,000 patients were in hospital. "Johns Hopkins University on Monday [June 8] found 22 states, including Michigan and Arizona, had seen at least small daily upticks in new cases. Virginia, Rhode Island and Nebraska showed the greatest decreases, the school's data showed. "The number of new infections around the U.S. rose three per cent in the first week of June -- the first increase after five weeks of declines, according to an analysis of data from the COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run organization. "Yet even those rises and declines likely don't tell the true story of the pandemic. The number of infections and deaths related to COVID-19, as is the case around the world, is believed to be far higher than official data indicates thanks to shortages in testing. "Health officials have continued to stress the importance of widespread testing and contact tracing to ensure any resurgence of the virus is caught early, while allowing the economy to reopen. "But the Trump administration has yet to produce a plan that has satisfied both parties in Congress, leaving it up to states to ramp up testing. "The White House's coronavirus task force still meets and collects data but has shifted its focus towards reopening the economy on U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, told CNN last week that he had not spoken to Trump in two weeks." In Central America and the Caribbean on June 13: Dominican Republic: 22,572
(8,911 active; 13,084 recovered; 577 deaths) and
2,082 cases per
million; 53 deaths per million Panama: 19,211 (5,031 active;
13,759 recovered; 421 deaths) and 4,456 cases per
million; 98 deaths
per million Guatemala: 8,982 (6,929 active;
1,702 recovered; 351 deaths) and 502 cases per
million; 20 deaths per
million Honduras: 8,132 (6,932 active;
844 recovered; 306 deaths) and 854 cases per million; 31 deaths per million Haiti: 3,941 (3,853 active; 24 ; 64 deaths) and 346 cases per million; 6 deaths per million Cuban journalist and editor in chief of Cubadebate, Rosa Miriam Elizalde writes from Havana where she is in quarantine: "I am writing these lines from one of the
isolation centers for those who have been in
contact with COVID-19
cases that do not present symptoms of the disease.
The rapid test is
negative, but I still have to stay in quarantine
for 14 days until I
pass the test that detects and quantifies the
virus. "In Havana alone, there are 26 such isolation centers for those who have had direct contact with infected people or have returned to the country on humanitarian flights, which have been maintained despite the closure of the borders. "Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that Latin America is the new centre of the pandemic, the cases on the island are in free fall and no deaths have been reported in the last 12 days. Cubans are now 24 times less likely to contract the virus than Dominicans, 27 times less than Mexicans and more than 70 times less than Brazilians, reported the British newspaper The Guardian this week. "For Rubén González Duany, the doctor who is treating us and whose eyes are all that I have seen since I have been in quarantine, the result is not the work of a miracle. It is due to the early detection of carriers, hospitalization and the application of experimental treatments, most of which have been developed by the nation’s own biotechnology sector. The combination of the scientific method, decades of investment in a strong public health system and the age-old remedy of social quarantine has worked. Without immediate vaccination, the goal is to regulate the rate of change in cases as best as possible." In South America on June 13: Brazil: 832,866 (363,201
active; 427,610 recovered; 42,055 deaths) and
3,920 cases per million;
198 deaths per million Peru: 220,749 (107,308 active;
107,133 recovered; 6,308 deaths) and 6,700 cases
per million; 191
deaths per million Chile: 167,355 (26,958 active;
137,296 recovered; 3,101 deaths) and 8,758 cases
per million; 162
deaths per million Colombia: 46,858 (26,598
active; 18,715 recovered; 1,545 deaths) and 921
cases per million; 30
deaths per million Ecuador: 46,356 (19,617 active;
22,865 recovered; 3,874 deaths) and 2,630 cases
per million; 220 deaths
per million Latin America has become the new COVID-19 pandemic epicentre, World Health Organization (WHO) Emergencies Program Executive Director Michael Ryan informed during a media briefing on June 10. "What we are seeing, with some notable exceptions, is a trend of cases to increase, from Mexico to Chile. This is a time of great concern, and it is a time when we need strong government leadership as well as great solidarity with the region to control this disease. It's not just one country, but many countries that are facing severe outbreaks," he warned. Ryan informed that the Americas holds five of the ten countries with the highest number of COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours: Brazil, the United States, Peru, Chile, and Mexico. He also referred to the pressure health systems in the region are exposed to, something that, along with the contagion increase, puts the WHO in the most delicate situation this health body has faced since the pandemic outbreak. "I would certainly characterize that Central and South America, in particular, have very much become the intense zones of transmission for this virus as we speak, and I don't believe that we have reached the peak in that transmission. And at this point, I cannot predict when we will," he said. Despite this, Ryan assured that Central and South America have a long and successful history when it comes to fighting for health. "What we want to see is governments working together to once again demonstrate to the world the capabilities that these countries have, as well as their ability to work individually and cooperatively to end infectious diseases," he said. In Brazil, the Bolsonaro government has begun withholding publication of data on the pandemic. teleSUR reports that on June 6, there was a several-hour blackout on the Brazilian Ministry of Health page that showed information on the virus in real time, following which information on the cumulative number of infected and deceased in the country was deleted. The website now only shows the figures for the previous 24 hours. President Jair Bolsonaro justified the changes saying they were aimed at avoiding "underreporting" and "inconsistencies." WHO Director Michael Ryan said that "it is very important that there be consistent transparency in government statistics on the situation of COVID-19 in the country." Ryan added that it is expected that "we can count on our partners in Brazil to pass that information on to us, and more importantly, pass it on to their citizens. They need to know what is going on." It is uncertain whether Bolivia, with a relatively small toll of 487 coronavirus deaths, but with a high number of infections registered in recent weeks, will hold its general election delayed already for months, on September 6 as approved by the country's Congress. On June 12 Jeanine Añez, the de facto President brought to power by a U.S.-backed coup, refused to promulgate the law setting the date for the election, asking the Congress to justify its decision by providing an epidemiological study to show it would be safe to hold elections in September. Chile has extended the quarantines that were already in force and added eight new zones to the measure starting June 11. On Saturday Health Minister Jaime Manalich resigned after facing criticism for his unsatisfactory management of the pandemic and calling for the establishment of a "new normal" while the number of cases and deaths continued to steadily rise. Ecuador, despite its 3,720 recorded and 2,462 probable deaths from COVID-19, in addition to 44,440 confirmed cases, has begun relaxation of lockdown measures. Venezuela continues to merit recognition for its success at containing the virus. Despite its number of cases increasing dramatically from a few hundred just under a month ago to 2,904 on June 13, Venezuela continues to have a much lower number of cases per million (102) and by far the lowest number of deaths per million (0.8) in South America. In spite of this consistent record achieved by mobilizing all the resources of its public health system and the organized Venezuelan people, the U.S., Canada and their Lima Group are going to great lengths to create the impression that the country is in the midst of a pandemic-related crisis and needs foreign intervention to remove a government running circles around all of them in containing the spread of the coronavirus and saving people's lives. The surge in COVID-19 cases in Venezuela over the past several weeks is largely the result of Venezuelan migrants returning from Brazil, Colombia, Peru and other countries where they had gone to seek better economic opportunities as the U.S. economic sanctions took their toll, as intended, on the daily lives of the working people. These "imported" cases now represent 80 per cent of all Venezuela’s cases, to which the government has responded by instituting strict protocols at all border crossings to ensure everyone is tested, quarantines are applied, with check-up and treatment provided to all those who need it. Over the past two weeks Venezuela has adopted a phased-in easing of the quarantine it adopted as soon as the first cases were detected in mid-March. It began with a few hours on weekends for children and seniors to go out for walks and exercise then moved to a partial opening of the economy which had been shut down for all but essential public services and food production and distribution. Under what is called the 5+10 Plan, a range of personal services, certain retail businesses, auto repairs and industries such as those producing footwear, textiles and chemicals were allowed to open on a staggered schedule for five days, followed by 10 days of voluntary "disciplined and rigorous" quarantine. Beginning the week of June 8 the easing moved to a 7+7 schedule -- seven days of work followed by seven days of quarantine. On June 15, the quarantine is slated to be eased further to allow for engaging in individual sports, without spectators, and such things as the reopening of gyms and certain businesses in shopping centers. Municipalities under curfew because of outbreaks and in border areas adjacent to Colombia and Brazil continue to remain exempt from this easing up of the quarantine at this time. In a new development, the week of June 8 the Venezuelan government announced it had signed an agreement with representatives of opposition parties to work together in combatting COVID-19 in such areas as the detection of new cases, timely treatment of infected persons, supervision of quarantines and protecting health personnel, among others. The parties also agreed to accept the "technical and administrative assistance" of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and to cooperate with it to secure "financial resources that contribute to the strengthening of the country's response capacity." The fictitious "government" of deputy Juan Guaidó also specifically agreed to make available "with the approval of the government of Nicolás Maduro" access to $10 million in funds to finance PAHO's work in the country. That would be funds which already belong to the Venezuelan people but have been seized and held unlawfully by governments and financial institutions in the U.S. and Europe to finance the activities of violent coup forces they have put into motion. In Africa on June 13: South Africa: 65,736 (27,463
active; 36,850 recovered; 1,423 deaths) and 1,109
cases per million; 24
deaths per million Egypt: 42,980 (29,967 active;
11,529 recovered; 1,484 deaths) and 420 cases per
million; 15 deaths
per million Nigeria: 15,181 (9,891 active;
4,891 recovered; 399 deaths) and 74 cases per
million; 2 deaths per
million Ghana: 11,118 (7,091 active; 3,979 recovered; 48 deaths) and 358 cases per million; 2 deaths per million Algeria: 10,810 (2,630 active;
7,420 ; 760 deaths) and 247 cases per million; 17
deaths per million The coronavirus pandemic is accelerating in Africa, spreading to the hinterland from capital cities where it arrived with travelers, the World Health Organization said on June 11. However, the WHO said there was no indication that severe cases and deaths were being missed, nor has the virus caused significant infections in refugee camps across the continent. Ten countries account for 75 per cent of the some 207,600 cases on the continent, with 5,000 deaths reported, according to Matshidiso Moeti, WHO's Africa regional director. South Africa, which last month began a phased easing of the lockdown, is the hardest-hit, accounting for a quarter of all cases, she said. "Even though these cases in Africa account for less than 3 percent of the global total, it's clear that the pandemic is accelerating," Moeti told a news briefing for Geneva-based UN correspondents. "We believe that large numbers of severe cases and deaths are not being missed in Africa." Africa's population is relatively youthful and many countries had already established "point of entry" screening measures against Ebola fever -- two factors which may have so far limited the spread of COVID-19, she said. But lockdowns and market closures intended to contain coronavirus contagion have taken a heavy toll on marginalized communities and low-income families, Moeti said. In South Africa, high numbers of daily cases and deaths are being reported in two provinces, the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, she said, adding: "Specifically in the Western Cape where we are seeing a majority of cases and deaths, the trend seem to be similar to what was happening in Europe and in the U.S." A major challenge on the continent remains the availability of test kits, Moeti said. "Until such time as we have access to an effective vaccine, I'm afraid we'll probably have to live with a steady increase in the region, with some hotspots having to be managed in a number of countries, as is happening now in South Africa, Algeria, Cameroon for example, which require very strong public health measures, social distancing measures to take place." In Oceania on June 13: Australia: 7,302 (388 active;
6,812 recovered; 102 deaths) and 287 cases per
million; 4 deaths per
million New Zealand: 1,504 (0 active;
1,482 recovered; 22 deaths) and 301 cases per
million; 4 deaths per
million Guam: 176 cases (5 deaths) French Polynesia: 60 (all
recovered) and 214 cases per million New Caledonia: 21 (1 active; 20 recovered) and 74 - June 6: 20 (2 active; 18 recovered) 70 cases per million (With files from teleSUR, Xinhua, Prensa Latina, Prensa Presidencial, Alba Ciudad, Cubadebate, Reuters, Global News, Al Jazeera, IRNA.)
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