(TibetanReview.net, Mar13’20) – While China said Mar 12 that it had passed the peak of the Covid-19 epidemic which broke out in its central Wuhan city in Dec 2019, but possibly a month earlier, the contagious disease continues to spread rapidly in the rest of the world, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to finally declared it a global pandemic.
While China has begun easing restrictions with orders to reopen factories and major tourism sites, the rest of the world, but especially Europe and United States, have been taking measures to restrict visas and large-scale public gatherings.
The number of infections across the world now totals 132,505 and the deaths 4,967 (including 80,813 and 3,176 respectively in mainland China), with the rest of the world accounting for 51,692 and 1,791 respectively, according to data compiled by the scmp.com as of Mar 13 at 4:11 PM Hong Kong time. The WHO said Mar 12 evening that 117 countries now had confirmed infections.
The total number of those who had recovered thus far was 69,847.
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Italy, the worst affected country outside mainland China, saw another huge daily jump in both confirmed cases and deaths. Its total confirmed cases touched 15,113 and the deaths 1,016, compared to 12,462 and 827 respectively the day before.
Iran, the second worst affected country outside China, however, saw no increase in the number of infections and deaths at the totals of 10,075 and 429 respectively.
South Korea, the third worst affected country outside China, continued to show only marginally increased figures, reaching the totals of 7,979 confirmed cases and 67 deaths, compared to the previous day’s totals of 7,869 infections and 66 deaths.
Spain has become the fourth worst affected country outside mainland China with a total of 2,965 confirmed cases and 84 deaths.
France saw another relatively large jump in both the figures with a total of 2,876 confirmed cases and 61 deaths, compared to the previous day’s totals of 2,281 and 48 respectively.
Other countries and territories with confirmed cases and deaths as of Mar 13 at 4:11 PM Hong Kong time included Germany (2,369, 3), the United States (1,216, 41), Switzerland (815, 6), the Diamond Princess cruise ship (696, 7-unchanged), Norway (621, 1), Japan, (620, 15-unchanged), Sweden (620, 1), the United Kingdom (590, 10), the Netherlands (503, 4), Belgium (314, 3-unchanged), Austria (302, 1-unchanged), Australia (156, 3), Canada (138, 1), Hong Kong (134, 4), Greece (99, 1-unchanged), Thailand (75, 1), India (74, 1), San Marino (67, 5), Egypt (67, 1), Lebanon (66, 2), Iraq (61, 6), the Philippines (52, 5), Taiwan (50, 1), Poland (44, 1), Ireland (43, 1), Indonesia (34, 2), Algeria (25, 1), Argentina (19, 1), Albania (10, 1-unchanged), Panama (10, 1), Bulgaria (7, 1), Morocco (5, 1), and Guyana (1, 1).
Other countries and regions with 10 or more confirmed infections, but no death, as of Mar 12 at 7:10 PM Hong Kong time included Denmark (674), Qatar (262-unchanged), Bahrain (189-unchanged), Singapore (187-unchanged), Malaysia (158), Israel (100-unchanged), the Czech Republic (94), the UAE (85), Kuwait (80-unchanged), Brazil (76), Iceland (65-unchanged), Slovenia (57), Romania (25), Portugal (48), Portugal (41), Finland (40-unchanged), Vietnam (39-unchanged), Occupied Palestinian territory (30-unchanged), Chile (23), Georgia (23-unchanged), Costa Rica (22-unchanged), Grand Princess cruise ship off San Francisco (21-unchanged), Saudi Arabia (21), Pakistan (20-unchanged), Russia (20-unchanged), Serbia (19), Oman (18-unchanged), Ecuador (17), Luxembourg (17), Peru (17), Croatia (16), Latvia (16), South Africa (16), Estonia (13), Hungary (13), Belarus (12), Brunei (11), Mexico (11), Macao (10-unchanged), and Slovakia (10).
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In China, the National Health Commission said Mar 13 that the country had only single digit increases in the number of confirmed cases and deaths on Mar 12 at eight and seven respectively.
China still has a total of 13,526 infected persons undergoing treatment, a reduction of 1,305 over the previous day, reported the official chinadaily.com.cn Mar 12.
The total number of suspected cases was reported to be 147, an increase of 33 over the previous day’s figure.
The number of severe cases was stated to be 4,020, a decline of 237 over the previous day.
Cumulative recoveries totaled 64,111, an increase of 1,318 over the previous day.
China also reported a cumulative imported cases of 88, an increase of 3 over the previous day’s total.