WHO Expects Coronavirus Infections to Reach Staggering 10 Million Mark by Next Week

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he expects the number of global coronavirus infections to reach the 10 million mark by next week, during a virtual press conference today.

THE current total hovers around 9.3 million. Coronavirus has also killed at least 477,500 people to date. Although the disease is somewhat under control in many parts of Europe, it’s still raging across countries like India and parts of Central and South America. India registered the highest number of cases in just one day today, recording a daily increase of nearly 16,000 new cases.

Head of the WHO’s Emergencies Programme Dr Mike Ryan confirmed that the pandemic for many countries in Central and South America is also “still intense” as the pandemic “has not peaked there yet.” According to Ryan, many countries in the region have experienced “25-50 per cent increases in cases” in the last week alone. “I would characterise the situation as still evolving, not having reached its peak yet, and likely to result in sustained numbers of cases and deaths in the coming weeks,” he stated.

New cases in the US have also been surging again for more than a week, after steady declines in the last few weeks. The US currently remains the country worst affected by the pandemic in the world, with over 2.3 million people infected to date, as well as more than 121,000 fatalities from the disease. WHO’s Chief said the organisation is now also trying to help many countries to obtain “oxygen concentrators – devices that boost the flow of oxygen to support the breathing of Covid-19 sufferers.” But “demand is outstripping supply,” he added.