The world set a single-day record for new cases of the coronavirus, the World Health Organization said Sunday—more than six months into a pandemic the top official there warns is “accelerating”—reporting over 183,000 cases in a 24-hour period, and more than 4,700 deaths.
KEY FACTS
Nearly half of the cases came from either the U.S. or Brazil, as cases are spiking in both countries, with Brazil recently surpassing 1 million cases.
There were 54,771 new cases reported in Brazil, according to the WHO, followed by the U.S. with 36,617 and then India with 15,400.
The WHO warned last week that the world was entering “a new and dangerous phase” as stay-at-home orders are being lifted, and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that the pandemic is “accelerating.”
This is the 153rd consecutive day the WHO released its “Situation Report” on the status of the pandemic.
KEY BACKGROUND
Over two-thirds of the new deaths were reported in the Americas Sunday, as the U.S. and Brazil—the third and sixth-largest nations by population, are recording a spike in cases. Cases are also on the rise in Southern Asia and the Middle East, according to the WHO.
CRITICAL QUOTE
“Many people are understandably fed up with being at home. Countries are understandably eager to open up their societies and economies. But the virus is still spreading fast. It is still deadly and most people are still susceptible,” Ghebreyesus said Friday.
BIG NUMBER
8,708,008 — That’s how many people worldwide are confirmed to have had coronavirus, according to the WHO, and 461,715 of them have died.
TANGENT
Donald Trump recently announced the U.S. would be ending its relationship with the WHO, which on several occasions failed to challenge information coming from the Chinese government that claimed the virus was contained. The U.S. had been the single largest funder of the WHO.
FURTHER READING
After Record Number Of New Daily Coronavirus Cases, WHO Warns Of ‘New And Dangerous’ Phase (Forbes)
Trump announces end of US relationship with World Health Organization (CNN)
I’m a New Orleans-based news reporter for Forbes covering the U.S. South and breaking news. Previously, I wrote for The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate covering local government.
Source: https://www.forbes.com
