As of 9 am, May 2, 2020:
World count: 3,303,296 cases, 235,290 deaths, 1,039,588 recoveries
There are now 3,303,296 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 worldwide. There have been 235,290 deaths worldwide. The United States has the highest number of cases, with 1,128,117 infections, followed by Spain (215,216) and Italy (207,428). The US also accounts for over one quarter of the total number of deaths worldwide (65,416), followed by Italy (28,236) and the United Kingdom (27,510).
1,039,588 people worldwide have recovered from Covid-19.
Singapore: 932 additional cases, 1 new death, 7 more clusters identified
The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on May 1 that there are 932 new Covid-19 cases in the country. The country now has a total of 17,101 confirmed cases, with an additional 24 discharged from hospital. A total of 1,268 individuals have recovered.
Another Singaporean succumbed to Covid-19 complications, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 16. The latest fatality is a 60-year-old male who tested positive for the coronavirus on April 13 and was known to suffer from hypertension and hyperlipidaemia, according to MOH.
The Ministry announced seven new infection clusters Joo Koon Lodge,Tuas South Incineration Plant, 19 Kian Teck Road, 12 Tuas Place, 15 Tuas View Square, 20 Sungei Kadut Avenue and 148 Woodlands Industrial Park E5.
UK: Target met of performing 100,000 tests per day
The UK announced it had met its goal of performing 100,000 Covid-19 tests daily by the end of April, said Health Secretary Matt Hancock. In fact, it had exceeded this goal by over twenty percent on the last day of April, reaching a total of 122,347 tests. Mr Hancock said, “I knew that it was an audacious goal, but we needed an audacious goal.” He added that the country has past its peak of infections. The UK has the fourth highest number of coronavirus infections around the globe, with 177,454 in all.
India: 2-week lockdown extended
India is extending its countrywide extension to by two weeks to May 17, with the exception of certain areas and activities, said the country’s Ministry of Home Affairs. The lockdown was supposed to have been lifted by Sunday, May 3. Citizens, except for those working in essential services, are still mandated to stay home from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., and gatherings larger than four people are still banned.
Experts say pandemic may last as long as 2 more years
Pandemic experts said in a report released on April 30 that the coronavirus will go on spreading around the world for another 18 months to 2 years, until around 60 to 70 percent of the population has been infected. Mike Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, said, “This thing’s not going to stop until it infects 60 to 70% of people. The idea that this is going to be done soon defies microbiology.”
“The length of the pandemic will likely be 18 to 24 months, as herd immunity gradually develops in the human population,” the report says.
China: Hubei lowers emergency level
The vice governor of Hubei, Yang Yunyan, said, “We have basically curbed the spread of the epidemic,” as the emergency alert level in the province where Covid-19 started was lowered for the first time since the outbreak started. However, he told residents “to stay at home as much as possible and avoid gatherings with other people” even as authorities kept up with “targeted efforts in the community.” —/TISG
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