One million coronavirus cases: what the figures tell us
Data suggests that most people will recover but death rates are still accelerating
The number of confirmed coronavirus infections around the world has passed the million mark, with the global total doubling in a week.
More than 1,030,000 infections have been confirmed worldwide, and more than 55,000 deaths, according to the latest figures.
As we pass yet another grim milestone, what can we learn from the numbers?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Recovery rates
The number of people recovering from recorded cases of the virus far outweigh the number of people dying because of it.
Of the 275,000 cases with a closed outcome, 220,000 (80%) recovered compared to 55,000 who died, according to the website Worldometer.
The actual death rate from the virus is far lower than 20%, but because in many countries – including the UK – only very sick people are being tested and confirmed as having the virus, it looks a lot higher.
England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, has said the ultimate mortality rate will prove to be 1% or lower. By contrast, the death rate for common flu is 0.1%.
Despite the frightening spread of the infectious disease caused by the new coronavirus, the Office for National Statistics found that Covid-19 accounted for just 1% of the UK’s total deaths in the week ending 20 March.
Things are getting worse
It took a month and a half for the first 100,000 cases of coronavirus worldwide to be confirmed – but 500,000 cases were reported in the past week alone.
Statistics on the number of deaths paint an equally bleak picture, with the total increasing daily.
Europe is the epicentre
Europe has been hit hardest by the new coronavirus, with around half of the world’s cases concentrated in the continent.
The Guardian says that Spain, Italy and Germany are all in the top five countries for reported cases, with Italy and Spain recording the world’s highest number of deaths with nearly 14,000 and 11,000 respectively.
The country with the next highest number of deaths is the US, which is at around 6,000, the paper adds, just over half of that in Spain.
The US has the highest number of cases, and has seen nearly 1,200 people die there over the course of the past day.
Nearly quarter of a million people are confirmed as having the virus in the US, with that number set to rise rapidly as more testing is carried out.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The elderly are most at risk
The latest UK figures have revealed the age groups of those who have died from coronavirus to date.
In the UK, more than half (52%) of patients who died with the virus were over 80, while a further 40% of deaths were patients aged between 60 and 79. A further 7% died in the age group 40 to 59.
Less than 1% of the coronavirus victims in the UK were under 40. There were three deaths of those under 20, and 20 deaths of those aged 20 to 39.
A 13-year-old boy who died at King’s College Hospital in south London is believed to be the youngest victim in the UK so far.
Africa and South America are yet to see the worst
There are just over 7,000 cases of coronavirus confirmed across the whole continent of Africa, a fraction of what many continents and even countries are dealing with.
The continent, where some of the world’s least developed countries have poor healthcare infrastructure, has so far been spared the worst of the pandemic.
According to the BBC, health experts have warned that “strained public health systems in Africa could become quickly overwhelmed if the virus takes hold, especially in overcrowded urban areas”.
And The Washington Post adds that the World Health Organization has said that only eight countries on the continent are prepared to deal with a major outbreak.
Numbers are still low in South America, but rising. Like Africa, there is likely to be significant underreporting of new cases and even deaths.
Brazil is the worst affected country in South America so far, with just over 8,000 cases confirmed and more than 320 deaths.
The lassiez-faire approach of the Brazilian government has resulted in drug gangs taking it upon themselves to enforce lockdown regulations in the nation’s largest favelas.
South American tribes fear the virus could “wipe us out”, warns Ianucula Kaiabi, an indigenous leader in Brazil’s Xingu national park.
“The health system is precarious and we have isolated tribes here,” says Marivelton Bare, the president of the River Negro Indigenous Federation, in The Guardian.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Paris 2024 Olympics: a guide to the Games
In Depth Everything you need to know about the biggest event in sport
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine using covert US long-range missiles
Speed Read The weapons are part of a $1 billion Ukraine aid package
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Arizona grand jury indicts 18 in Trump fake elector plot
Speed Read The state charged Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani and other Trump allies in 2020 election interference case
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Nigeria's worsening rate of maternal mortality
Under the radar Economic crisis is making hospitals unaffordable, with women increasingly not receiving the care they need
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and early
Speed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Covid four years on: have we got over the pandemic?
Today's Big Question Brits suffering from both lockdown nostalgia and collective trauma that refuses to go away
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
How happy is Finland really?
Today's Big Question Nordic nation tops global happiness survey for seventh year in a row with 'focus on contentment over joy'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The hollow classroom
Opinion Remote school let kids down. It will take much more than extra tutoring for kids to recover.
By Mark Gimein Published
-
How Tehran became the world's nose job capital
Under the radar Iranian doctors raise alarm over low costs, weak regulation and online influence of 'Western beauty standards'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Africa's renewed battle against female genital mutilation
Under the radar Campaigners call for ban in Sierra Leone after deaths of three girls as coast-to-coast convoy prepares to depart
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Excess screen time is making children only see what is in front of them
Under the radar The future is looking blurry. And very nearsighted.
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published