Published 08:56 IST, April 3rd 2020
1 Million global Coronavirus cases & 50,000 deaths leaves empirical mortality rate at 5%
The first case of the virus was detected in Wuhan in China in December and has subsequently spread all across the world, disrupting daily life
- India News
- 2 min read
The latest tally of the total number of cases and the deaths due to the Coronavirus has shown that the number of cases worldwide has grown to one million cases, with more than 50,000 now having succumbed to the virus, leaving the empirical mortality rate at roughly 5%.
Record number of cases
The cases have been reported across the world in over 188 countries as per WHO data, which declared the virus as a pandemic after it spread to multiple countries across the world.
WHO, on Thursday, stated that more than 95 percent of people who have died of coronavirus on the continent have been aged over 60. But Dr. Hans Kluge said age is not the only risk factor for severe disease, adding: "The very notion that COVID-19 only affects older people is factually wrong."
The U.N. health agency says 10 to 15 percent of people aged under 50 with the disease have moderate or severe infection. "Severe cases of the disease have been seen in people in their teens or 20s with many requiring intensive care and some unfortunately passing away," Kluge said.
The US has surged ahead in terms of the number of Coronavirus cases, currently at over 2.4 lakh.
Updated 08:56 IST, April 3rd 2020