Covid-19 Factoid: Maharashtra remains most affected, Bengal reports surge

Europe is worst affected among world regions and Oceania the least in terms of coronavirus cases.

The global confirmed case count is now at 9.76 million, of which over 492,000 people have already succumbed to the infection. Globally, 5.23 million patients have managed to beat the virus and recover. 

Back home, in India, the number of reported cases have breached the 500,000 cases-mark. As many as 189,463 cases are still active, while 295,881 people have been cured. The death toll stands at 15,685 at present. Maharashtra now has more than 150,000 confirmed cases. 

Here are some data points on the extent of the pandemic:

#1. South Africa takes 14 days to double its confirmed cases tally

South Africa’s current cases tally stands at over 124,000 cases, of which 2,340 people have succumbed to coronavirus infection. South Africa has the highest cases tally in Africa and accounts for almost 36 per cent of cases in the region. The country doubled its cases tally in just 14 days, quickest among the top twenty most-affected countries. South Africa is followed by India, Pakistan, Chile and Bangladesh which took 20 days to double their respective cases tally. Spain took the longest time—85 days—to double the number of confirmed cases in the country.

#2. Europe has the worst death rate among all regions

The current cases tally in Europe stands at around 2.4 million, out of which 8 per cent of the people have turned fatal. Europe is followed by North America with a death rate of 5.6 per cent in a case tally of almost 3 million. The Oceania region, with just 9,225 reported cases and only 126 deaths, has the lowest death rate : 1.4 per cent. 

#3. West Bengal witnessing surge in cases

West Bengal has so far reported over 16,000 cases. A total of 10,535 cases have recovered in the state while 616 people have lost their lives due to Covid-19 infection. The state has been witnessing a surge in new coronavirus cases since last few days. It has added more than 400 cases each in three straight days and added over 540 cases on June 26th, highest single days spike in the state.