Covid death toll nears 3 million as India cases surge
PARIS, April 17, (AFP) - The global Covid-19 death toll passed three million on Saturday as the pandemic continues to speed up despite vaccination campaigns, leading countries like India to impose new lockdowns to fight spiralling infection numbers.
It is the latest grim milestone after the novel coronavirus surfaced in central China in December 2019 and went on to infect more than 139 million people, leaving billions more under crippling lockdowns and ravaging the global economy.
An average of more than 12,000 deaths were recorded globally every day in the past week, shooting the overall toll past three million at around 0830 GMT on Saturday.
The pandemic is showing no sign of slowing down: the 829,596 new infections reported worldwide on Friday is the highest number yet. The daily average of 731,000 cases registered last week is also close to being a record.
India's capital New Delhi went into lockdown Saturday as the world's second-most populous nation recorded 234,000 new cases and 1,341 deaths. India now has three times the daily cases of the US. Hopes that South Asian countries might have seen the worst of the pandemic have been dashed, with India recording over two million new cases this month, and Bangladesh and Pakistan imposing new shutdowns. Udaya Regmi of the international Red Cross said the “truly frightening” South Asian surge was a “wake-up call to the world”.
Thailand recorded its fourth consecutive day of more than 1,000 new cases on Saturday, with spiralling infections linked to a nightlife district in Bangkok. In Japan, rising virus cases have stoked speculation that the Olympic Games could be cancelled.
In Brazil, the country with the third- highest death toll, night shifts have been added to several cemeteries as diggers work around the clock to bury the dead.
There was better news in Europe, where some countries are easing their lockdowns in response to not only fatigue, but falling infection numbers and progress with vaccinations.