Global coronavirus cases pass 19m

… Nigeria’ s toll crosses 45, 000

…India records 2m total

THE number of coronavirus cases recorded worldwide has passed 19 million.

  According to a tally from official sources late yesterday, at least 19,000,553 cases and 712,315 deaths have now been registered.

  Fourty percent of cases were in United States and Brazil, the two worst-affected countries with 4,870,367 cases (159,864 deaths) and 2,912,212 infections (98,493 deaths) respectively.

  Meanwhile, Nigeria reported three more deaths from COVID-19 as the country’s infections total crossed 45, 000.

  Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which revealed the latest figure, also said West African nation had 354 fresh COVID-19 cases for the day.

  A breakdown of new infections from COCID-19 indicated that the FCT had the highest number of fresh cases – 78 – and is followed by the country’s COVID-19 epicentre of Lagos – 76 – and Kaduna – 23.

  Other states with confirmed cases of COVID-19 include Ebonyi – 19; Oyo – 18; Nasarawa – 17; Rivers – 17; Delta -16; Kwara – 15; Akwa Ibom – 13;   Edo – 12 and Ogun -12.

  Plateau – 11; Kano – 9; Bauchi – 6 ; Borno – 6 and Ekiti -6.

  It will be recalled that Nigeria’s latest COVID-19 infections were confirmed in 16 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), taking the country’s tally to 45,244.

  Although 32,430 persons who contracted the virus have been successfully treated and discharged, 930 deaths have so far been confirmed.

  But India’s official coronavirus case tally today hit two million, doubling in three weeks as the pandemic sweeps into smaller cities and rural areas while  experts warned the real toll could be much higher.

  Official figures show the country has now recorded 2.03 million infections and 41,585 deaths.

  A record daily jump of more than 60,000 fresh infections was recorded, according to health ministry data, making the South Asian giant only the third country to surpass the two million milestone after the United States and Brazil.

  The rate of spread in the world’s second-most populous country also appears to be increasing. India logged its first one million infections by July 17 and crossed the 1.5 million mark just 12 days after that.

  It will be recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government imposed one of the world’s strictest lockdowns in late March.