Global Coronavirus Cases Increasing At Fastest Pace Yet, With Brand New Hotspots

TOPLINE

While many of the countries hit early on in the coronavirus pandemic are seeing infections wane, the number of cases worldwide is multiplying faster than ever before, with the virus’s growing presence in parts of the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America driving this new peak. 

KEY FACTS

Key number

There have been more than 6.5 million cases of coronavirus reported worldwide and over 386,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. 

key background

Over the past week, protests have swept across all 50 U.S. states and in cities worldwide like Paris, Amsterdam, London, Berlin, Milan, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Toronto, among others, in response to the death of George Floyd in the U.S. and other instances of police brutality. Health experts fear that these large gatherings may lead to an accelerated spread in Covid-19. 

key quote

“I think there’s going to be a lot of challenges coming out of the events of the past week,” former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC’s Squawk Box on Monday. “One of them’s going to be that probably chains of transmission will have gotten lit by large gatherings. I don’t think there’s really a question about that.”

further reading

Experts Fear Minneapolis Protests Will Trigger Spike In Coronavirus Cases (Forbes) 

Brazil Counts Most Daily Coronavirus Deaths Since Pandemic Began (Forbes) 

Why America’s Nurses Were Not Prepared For The Coronavirus Pandemic (Forbes)