(TibetanReview.net, Mar18’20) – It appears to be only a question of days before the total number of people infected by the Covid-19 pandemic which broke out late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan but spread rapidly both nationally and international due to Beijing’s suppression of news about the new infectious disease crosses 200,000 and the deaths 8,000. As of Mar 18 at 3:19 PM Hong Kong time 194,370 people had been infected and 7,916 had died, according to data compiled by the scmp.com. New infections are still increasing in thousands each day in the worst affected countries outside China of Italy, Iran, Spain, France, Germany, and the United States, with the daily number of deaths occurring in hundreds in Italy, Iran and Spain.
India had 151 confirmed cases within the country, including three deaths as of Mar 18 at 17:50 PM IST. Besides, 276 Indians abroad, including 255 in Iran, were also infected with the disease, the government has informed the country’s parliament Mar 18. A total of 14 had been discharged after recovery.
The global pandemic has reached 17 states and union territories of India. Most of the cases are in the State of Maharashtra (42), followed by Kerala (27), Haryana (17), Uttar Pradesh (16), Karnataka (11), Delhi 10, Ladakh (8), Telengana (6), and Rajasthan (4), Andhra Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir (3). Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Pondicherry, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal have one confirmed case each. A total of 14 have been cured and discharged from hospitals.
The government has decided to let private labs to carry out tests so that a more truthful picture of the situation concerning the pandemic’s spreads in the county could emerge.
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Italy continued to be the worst affected country outside China, seeing massive daily increases in the numbers of confirmed infections and deaths. The country’s total confirmed cases touched 31,596 and the deaths 2,503, compared to 27,980 and 2,158 respectively the day before.
Iran, the second worst affected country outside China, also saw large increases in cases, reporting totals of 16,169 confirmed cases and 988 deaths, compared to 14,991 and 853 respectively the day before.
It was another bad day for Spain too which reported a total of 11,178 confirmed cases and 491 deaths compared to the previous day’s totals of 9,942 and 423 respectively.
South Korea continued to be able to slow down the pandemic’s spread, reporting totals of 8,413 confirmed cases and 84 deaths, compared to the previous day’s totals of 8,320 and 81 deaths respectively.
For France, the fifth worst affected country outside China, it was another day of big increases, reporting totals of 7,730 confirmed cases and 175 deaths, compared to the previous day’s totals of 6,633 and 148 respectively.
Germany too saw a steep jump in the total of confirmed infections at 7,156 and 24 deaths, compared to the previous day’s totals of 6,012 and 14 respectively.
In the United States, the pandemic has reached all the 50 states, with West Virginia becoming the last to be affected and the number of cases expected to rise steeply when the test facility becomes available to more people. The country currently had 5,712 confirmed infections and 103 deaths, compared to the previous day’s totals of 4,379 and 71 respectively.
Other countries and territories with confirmed cases and deaths as of Mar 18 at 3:19 PM Hong Kong time included Switzerland (2,269, 19), the United Kingdom (1,950, 60), the Netherlands (1,705, 43), Austria (1,471, 3), Norway (1,308, 3), Belgium (1,243, 10), Sweden (1,167, 3), Denmark (1,044, 4), Japan, (868, 29), Malaysia (790, 2), the Diamond Princess cruise ship (696, 7-unchanged), Canada (569, 8), Australia (454,5), Portugal (448, 1), Greece (387, 5), Ireland (292, 2), Brazil (291, 1), Slovenia (275, 1), Pakistan (245, 1), Bahrain (242, 1), Indonesia (227, 19), Thailand (212, 1), Luxembourg (203, 2), the Philippines (202, 17), Egypt (196, 6), Hong Kong (181, 4), Poland (150, 3-unchanged), India (137, 3-since risen to 153 infections), Iraq (124, 10-unchanged), Lebanon (120, 3), Ecuador (111, 2), San Marino (104, 11), Taiwan (100, 1), Turkey (98, 1), Panama (69, 1), Bulgaria (67, 2), Argentina (65, 2), Algeria (61, 5), Albania (55, 1), Hungary (50, 1), Morocco (38, 2), Moldova (30, 1), Dominican Republic (21, 1), Ukraine (7, 1), Guyana (4, 1-unchanged), Sudan (2, 1), and Guatemala (1, 1-unchanged).
Other countries and regions with 10 or more confirmed infections, but no death, as of Mar 18 at 3:19 PM Hong Kong time included the Czech Republic (464), Qatar (442), Israel (427), Finland (319), Singapore (266), Iceland (247), Romania (217), Estonia (205-unchanged), Chile (201), Saudi Arabia (171), Kuwait (142), Peru (117), South Africa (116), Russia (114), the UAE (113), Slovakia (105), Mexico (93), Serbia (83), Croatia (81), Armenia (78), Latvia (71), Vietnam (68), Brunei (56), Cyprus (49), Faroe Islands (47), Belarus (46), Colombia (45), Sri Lanka (42), Costa Rica (41), Occupied Palestinian territory (39), Venezuela (36), Cambodia (35), Jordan (35), Kazakhstan (35), Georgia (33-unchanged), North Macedonia (31), Senegal (31), Malta (30), Lithuania (26), Bosnia and Herzegovina (24-unchanged), Oman (24), Afghanistan(21), Grand Princess cruise ship off San Francisco (21-unchanged), Burkina Faso (20), New Zealand (20), Tunisia (20), Azerbaijan (19), Kosovo (19), Guadeloupe (18), Martinique (16), Macao (14) Andorra (14), Maldives (13-unchanged), Bolivia (11), Paraguay (11), Bangladesh (10), Cameroon (10), and Jamaica (10-unchanged).
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In China, the National Health Commission said Mar 18 that the mainland had 13 newly confirmed cases and 11 deaths on Mar 17 end, compared to 21 and 13 respectively the day before.
Mainland China also reported 21 new suspected cases, taking the total of such cases to 119.
Although the pandemic had broken out in China, the country also reported what it called new “imported cases” of 12, taking the total of such cases to 155.
Of the mainland’s total confirmed cases of 80,894 as of Mar 17 end, 8,056 were still being treated, 69,601 had been discharged after recovery, and 3,237 had died of the disease, reported the official chinadaily.com.cn Mar 18.
