Where some of the most affected countries stand

There are just a handful of countries left with no recorded cases of COVID-19, but even those could be because of unreported infections. Such is the scale of the Coronavirus pandemic that started in China last December and has now gripped the entire world bringing everything to a standstill. Here’s a status check of some countries with the highest rates of COVID-19 infections:

China continues to have the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world. On Monday, nine more deaths were reported in the country. Although attention has shifted from the epicentre of the crisis as infections are rapidly spreading to other parts of the world, China still leads with 81,171 cases, the highest in the world. As of March, 23, according to data by Johns Hopkins University, approximately 3,277 people have died in the country. On the positive side, China has been reporting that there are hardly any new local cases coming up over the past week, attributing most new Coronavirus numbers to those who have come from outside.

Italy recorded its first COVID19 patients when two Chinese tourists were detected with the infection on January 31. The nature of transmission meant that the virus spread across a large area with exceptional speed. According to WHO situation reports for Italy, there are at present 63,927 known cases in the country and an estimated 6,077 deaths since the pandemic began in January.

While the pandemic was impacting China and Europe, the US government was confident that it had resources to tackle any COVID-19 cases detected in its territory. For weeks the Trump administration insisted that American citizens had no cause for concern.

The United States could soon become the global epicentre of the Coronavirus pandemic, the WHO warned on Tuesday. The USA reported 10,000 virus cases in a single day.

Despite having the fourthhighest numbers of COVID-19, Spain has been relatively less highlighted in international news. Like other countries in Europe, Spain also instituted entry bans and the suspension of passenger traffic for most countries in an attempt to control the situation.

Already facing the brunt of prolonged sanctions imposed by the US, Iran has faced further challenges due to the high rates of COVID-19 infections. According to WHO, the country has 23,049 confirmed infections and 1,812 deaths, a figure that observers say is likely higher than what has been officially reported.