Covid -19 coronavirus: Top ten most-affected countries. PLEASE SHARE



As the coronavirus reaches 100 countries Pharmaceutical Technology lists the top ten most affected countries by the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak in China, by number of cases.





China

China, including Hong Kong and Macau, is the worst affected country by the novel coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak, officially named Covid-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO).

China has witnessed more than 3,000 deaths and approximately 74% of the global coronavirus cases as of 09 March, which quickly came down to approximately 67% by 11 March as the number of cases in rest of the world surged.

Hubei is the most-affected province within China and Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei, is the city affected worst by the coronavirus. Hubei has witnessed more than 67,000 coronavirus-positive cases as of 11 March.

The number of cases in China, however, has been on the decline starting March due to the rapid control measures and response by the Chinese government.

Italy

Coronavirus is getting severe in Italy, making it the most-affected in Europe as well as outside Asia. Travel to Italy and Italians travelling to other countries during the outbreak has been traced to have caused Covid-19 spread.
Northern Italy, where the majority of the Italian Covid-19 cases are recorded, is kept on a high alert with affected cities locked-down. The Italian government’s early measures such as closing educational institutions temporarily might have limited the spread, although the aged population remains a concern.

Coronavirus deaths in Italy raised sharply from 366 on 08 March to 631 on 10 March.


Iran

Iran, another country from where coronavirus spread to rest of the world, currently has more than 8,000 confirmed cases and has recorded 291 deaths. Iran has been suspected to have delayed acknowledging the spread of corona virus in their country and under-reporting the cases.

A number of countries have traced their coronavirus-infected having contracted the disease during travel to Iran. Many government officials and politicians including MPs in Iran have contracted coronavirus, some of who died.

Amid fears of further coronavirus spread, Iran announced the temporary release of approximately 70,000 prisoners, according to Mizan news agency.

South Korea

South Korea is hit the most by coronavirus infection outside China due to its proximity to the latter. Coronavirus cases in South Korea started surging in February and are currently close to reaching 7,800.

Deaths due to coronavirus in South Korea reached 54. The country is being assisted by China, whose experience in containing the outbreak has resulted in controlling the local spread of the epidemic.

France

France is the second most-affected European nation by the 2019 coronavirus. Covid-19 nCoV cases in France have reached 1,784.

The French government has banned public gatherings involving more than 1,000 people. The popular Louvre Museum in Paris was temporarily closed as a precautionary measure. The Paris city has reported Covid-19 coronavirus-positive cases, apart from other regions including Amiens, Bordeaux, and Eastern Haute-Savoie.

A worker at Disneyland Paris was reported by Reuters as having contracted the coronavirus. France currently has only a few clusters with coronavirus. The ongoing outbreak remains a concern to the French tourism industry as coronavirus fears are resulting in a drop in visitors.

Spain

Since the first coronavirus case confirmed on 01 February, the Spanish Covid-19 nCoV-infected cases got closer to 1,000 in early hours of 09 March and rised sharply to 1,695 by 11 March.

Spain is the second most-affected European country with coronavirus. Spanish coronavirus death toll has increased to 35 making the government and citizens nervous.

Tourism, a crucial sector for Spain, is expected to face an adverse impact due to the global coronavirus fears. The Spanish government has advised companies to ask employees to work from home to avoid spread.

Germany

Germany, which borders France and Switzerland, also has hundreds of coronavirus-positive cases, which stand at 1,565 currently.

Similar to its neighbour France, Germany too banned public events involving huge crowds in order to prevent spread. Trade fair, The Hannover Messe, has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak situation.

Germany has reported two coronavirus deaths as of 11 March.

USA

Coronavirus situation in the US is grim with the cases and deaths increasing fast. The US Covid-19 cases nearly doubled in two days, to cross 1,000 on 11 March, while the death toll passed 30.

Community spread and delayed testing is currently a major concern to Americans as enough test kits are not available across states.

The first coronavirus case in the US was confirmed on 21 January, but the cases surged from the second half of February.

Japan

Japan was among the countries that reported first coronavirus cases early following the Wuhan outbreak. In addition to the cases reported on cruise ship Diamond Princess docked in Japanese waters, the country reported 581 Covid-19 cases as of 11 March.

The Japanese government’s response to containing the spread among those onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship met with criticism.

Japan has witnessed 17 deaths due to coronavirus and is likely to feel an impact on travel and trade.

Switzerland

Switzerland, a popular tourist destination, is the fifth most affected European country by the novel coronavirus outbreak. The positive Covid-19 coronavirus cases in Switzerland, whose borders are close to Milan, Italy, reached close to 500 on 11 March.

Some of the major cities in Switzerland, such as Geneva and Zurich, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.

Three deaths have been reported in Switzerland due to coronavirus. The Swiss hotel and tourism industries will be affected if the coronavirus situation continues to stay for long.