World Surpasses 50 Million Covid Cases
Coronavirus cases around the world surpassed 50 million as of Sunday, with the United States topping the list of highest infection rates at 10.1 million, according to data released by John’s Hopkins University, who has been tracking and reporting infection rate information since the pandemic began.
The US, along with India and Brazil, who currently have the second and third highest worldwide cases respectively, comprise almost half of all cases globally. The United States hit another pandemic milestone, exceeding 120,000 new coronavirus infection cases daily from Thursday through Sunday, which is close to 120% in increases of Covid infections.
Flattening the curve of the ongoing spread is a monumental task for world leaders, scientists, health advisers and vaccine development laboratories. Experts don’t expect any significant progress immediately, as pharmaceutical companies race to develop safe vaccines and effective therapeutics. The uptick is expected to increase during winter months, as officials warn of holiday and indoor gatherings having the potential to rapidly spread the disease further.
With several vaccine trials underway, distribution approval in the US and elsewhere is not expected until at least the end of December with widespread availability not realistically anticipated until sometime in 2021.
Ann Sullivan is a contributing staff writer covering national and world news topics. She brings dedicated experience having written international and domestic news, blogs, and web content for over 20 years. She’s also a published poet and graphic designer with degrees in Business and Graphic Communications and has been a music distributor, music industry sponsorship sales director and band manager.