There have been over 1 million coronavirus-associated deaths worldwide since the illness was first reported in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

In January, as the virus began to spread outside of the country’s borders, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global health emergency, but it wasn’t officially deemed a global pandemic until March.

Since then, the world has been watching as companies race to develop a vaccine, and numerous countries issued lockdowns in hopes of containing the virus’ spread and cutting down on the number of fatalities, but outbreaks at nursing homes and other care facilities added thousands to the death toll. Advancements in testing capabilities and contact tracing allowed for some return to normalcy, but not without officials warning of risk and governors issuing a series of mandates for face coverings and social distancing.

Still, as countries reopened borders and loosened the coronavirus-related restrictions on travel, dining and other social events, health officials sounded the alarm over possible spikes in cases and the danger of a second wave.

“As we get into the fall and the winter, you really want the level of community spread to be as low as you possibility get it,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert and face of the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force, told ABC News recently. “There’s certainly parts of the country that are doing well, but there are states that are starting to show an uptick in cases and even some increases in hospitalizations in some states. And, I hope not, but, we very well might start seeing increases in deaths.”

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Fauci said now is the time to “double down” on enforcing public health measures in an effort to avoid having another shutdown in the U.S.

In the U.K., a number of regions have been forced to re-enter a lockdown period following a spike in positive COVID-19 test results, and WHO’s regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said it should serve as a “wake-up call” to others who may be experiencing “quarantine fatigue.”

“Weekly cases have now exceeded those reported when the pandemic first peaked in Europe in March,” Kluge said, according to the New York Post. “Although these numbers reflect more comprehensive testing, it also shows alarming rates of transmission across the region.”

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Health officials had also hoped that antibody testing would provide guidance on how to safely reopen, but a study based on data made available in 46 states in the U.S. found that less than 10 percent of Americans have COVID-19 antibodies. Last week, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told a Senate committee that preliminary results from large-scale serology testing across the U.S. suggested that most Americans likely remain vulnerable to infection.

The health agency also released data that shows the mortality rate from COVID-19 remains extremely low for young people, but there’s a recent rise in cases among this population, and those individuals pose a risk for the more vulnerable age groups who are more susceptible to the virus. Americans aged 20-29 now account for more than 20% of all cases, with officials noting that the shift in age, particularly in the southern regions hit by outbreaks in June, suggests that the “younger adults likely contributed to community transmission of COVID-19.”

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The U.S., which has had over 7.1 million cases of COVID-19 and has made massive strides in testing capabilities since the outbreak first began, currently leads the world in coronavirus-related deaths with nearly 205,000 fatalities, while Brazil follows with almost 142,000 coronavirus-associated deaths. The U.S. passed the grim 200,000 milestone marker last week, while the government has been prepping for mass distribution of a vaccine once a candidate is approved.

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Source: https://www.foxnews.com/health/coronavirus-death-toll-hits-1m-worldwide

The post Coronavirus death toll hits 1M worldwide first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

WHO’s regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, warned on Thursday the situation across the continent looks as bad as it was at the height of the first peak.

Kluge said: “We have a very serious situation unfolding before us.”

He added: “In the spring and early summer we were able to see the impact of strict lockdown measures. Our efforts, our sacrifices, paid off. In June cases hit an all-time low.

“The September case numbers, however, should serve as a wake-up call for all of us.”

Here are three points the WHO raised that shows how bad the situation is in Europe.

Case numbers are higher than they were during the peak of the pandemic

Kluge pointed out that weekly case numbers have exceeded those reported when the pandemic first peaked back in March.

Last week, Europe reported more than 300,000 cases.

Nations across the continent are carrying out far more tests than they did back in March at the start of the pandemic, so it is likely the situation was worse back then, but the rapid growth is a cause for concern.

France and Spain recorded the highest number of cases in the past two weeks, with 130,000 and 106,000 respectively.

Both nations have seen their pandemic get out of control in recent weeks despite strict new guidelines being enforced across their countries.

The UK has had the fifth-highest number of cases in the past two weeks at just over 35,000.

Half of European countries have seen their cases rise by 10% in the past two weeks

Half of all countries in Europe have seen at least a 10% increase in cases in the past two weeks.

These include most of the high population nations across the continent, including the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Russia.

Many nations are introducing new measures to try and combat the spread, and Kluge noted that we now have much more knowledge around combating the virus than we did in March.

But, most countries are reluctant to introduce another nationwide lockdown after the last one had a devastating impact on their economies.

Seven countries have seen their coronavirus cases double in two weeks

Among the half of nations that have seen at least a 10% increase, seven of them have seen newly reported cases increase more than two-fold in the same period.

From those seven countries, Hungary and Georgia have seen by far the steepest rise, with 428% and 591% more cases than they did during the previous two week period respectively.

The other nations are:

• The Czech Republic with a 207% increase in cases
• Denmark with a 169% increase in cases
• The UK with a 125% increase in cases
• Montenegro with a 122% increase in cases
• Norway with a 100% increase in cases

The cost has already been so high

There have been 4,893,614 cases of COVID-19 across the continent.

The total number of cases is likely much higher due to the lack of testing availability at the start of the pandemic.

From those nearly 5m cases recorded in Europe, WHO says 226,524 people have died.

Kluge was keen to point out that these numbers only point out part of the story, he said the cost on our economies, society and mental health has been “monumental.”

He acknowledged many people were suffering from a “fatigue” when it came to complying with guidelines aimed at stopping the rise in infections and implored nations to find ways to reach out to them

Looking to the future Kluge said: “Where the pandemic goes from here is in our hands.

“We have fought it back before and we can fight it back again.”

Source: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/three-worrying-statistics-coronavirus-who-europe-warnings-114324243.html

The post The three worrying statistics that show how bad the COVID-19 situation is in Europe first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.