US, Brazil, India share 60% of COVID-19 cases
WELLINGTON—INDIA on Thursday reported nearly 25,000 new coronavirus infections, as the disease continued its ominous spread through the nation of nearly 1.4 billion people.
The virus is showing no signs of slowing in the worst-affected countries: the United States, Brazil and India. The three nations account for more than 60 percent of new cases, according to recent tallies from Johns Hopkins University.
The United States reported nearly 59,000 new daily cases, just short of the record 60,000 cases set a day earlier, while Brazil reported nearly 45,000 new cases. India posted more than 24,000 cases on Thursday.
The number of confirmed cases in the United States has passed 3 million—meaning nearly one in every 100 people has been confirmed as infected —and the number of deaths is more than 132,000.
South Africa rising
The virus has also been spreading rapidly in South Africa, which reported nearly 9,000 new cases in its latest daily update. A provincial health official said 1.5 million grave sites are being prepared and it’s the public’s responsibility “to make sure that we don’t get there.”
In Australia, which had initial success containing the outbreak, authorities on Thursday reported 179 new cases, most of them in Melbourne, where authorities are battling a resurgence and have imposed a new six-week lockdown.
Victoria state Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said six new cases were from a Melbourne high school, which has become the state’s largest known cluster, with 113 people infected. More than 2,000 students and hundreds of staff are in quarantine.
Tokyo confirmed more than 220 new cases on Thursday, exceeding its record daily increase from mid-april and prompting concerns of widening of the infections. Tokyo’s more than 7,000 cases are about one-third of the nation’s total.
Experts on Tokyo’s virus task force said the majority of recent cases were linked to night clubs but rising infections from households, workplaces and parties raised concerns the virus is spreading in the wider community.
In Serbia, police fired tear gas to disperse rock-throwing protesters in the capital as violence erupted for a second day during demonstrations against the president’s handling of the outbreak.
Conflict amid illness
President Aleksandar Vucic backtracked on reinstating a lockdown in Belgrade this week, but demonstrations in front of parliament turned violent, with protesters firing flares and throwing stones while trying to storm the downtown parliament building.
A number of people were injured. Critics of the autocratic Vucic said his lifting of the previous lockdown measures contributed to the current surge in cases and was done for political reasons.
In Indonesia, the resort island of Bali reopened on Thursday after a three-month virus lockdown, allowing local people and stranded foreign tourists to resume public activities before foreign arrivals resume in September.
Beaches and streets on the island emptied in early April except for special patrols to ensure virus-containment protocols were observed. Authorities restricted public activities, closed the airport and shut down shops, restaurants and many other places.
The governor said the island would gradually reopen to locals and stranded foreigners. Indonesians from other parts of the country will be allowed to visit starting July 31 and new foreign arrivals from Sept. 11.
The move comes as infections continue to surge in Indonesia. The nation reported a record of nearly 2,000 new infections in its latest daily update.