WEB DESK
Global Coronavirus cases surpassed 100 million today, as countries around the world struggle with new virus variants and vaccine shortfalls. Almost 1.3% of the world’s population has now been infected with COVID-19, and more than 2.1 million people have died.
One person gets infected every 7.7 seconds, on average, since the start of the year. Around 668,250 cases have been reported each day over the same period, and the global fatality rate stands at 2.15%.
It took the world 11 months to record the first 50 million cases of the pandemic, compared to just three months for cases to double to 100 million.
Around 56 countries have begun vaccinating people for the Coronavirus, administering at least 64 million doses. Israel leads the world on per capita vaccinations, inoculating 29% of its population with at least one dose.
With over 25 million cases, the United States has 25% of all reported COVID cases although it accounts for just 4 per cent of the world’s population. The United States leads the world in the daily average number of new deaths reported, accounting for one in every five deaths reported worldwide each day. With just under 425,00 fatalities, the United States has reported almost twice as many deaths as Brazil, which has the second-highest death toll in the world.
As the worst-affected region in the world, Europe is currently reporting a million new infections about every four days and has reported nearly 30 million since the pandemic began. Britain reached 100,000 deaths yesterday. The Eastern European region, including countries like Russia, Poland and Ukraine, contribute to nearly 10 per cent of all global COVID-19 cases.
As richer nations race ahead with mass vaccination campaigns, Africa is still scrambling to secure supplies. African countries have nearly 3.5 million cases and over 85,000 deaths. The South African variant, also known as 501Y.V2, is 50 per cent more infectious and has been detected in at least 20 countries.