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Covid-19

Global coronavirus death toll passes 200,000 mark

Global deaths linked to the coronavirus passed 200,000 on Saturday, while confirmed cases of the virus are expected to hit 3 million in coming days.

Update:
Doctors and medical staff of Narayan Swaroop Hospital hold placards to protest against the recent assaults on health workers in different parts of the country during a nationwide lockdown imposed as a preventive measure against the spread of the COVID-19
SANJAY KANOJIAAFP

More than half of the fatalities have been reported by the United States, Spain and Italy. The first death linked to the disease was reported on Jan. 10 in Wuhan, China. It took 91 days for the death toll to pass 100,000 and a further 16 days to reach 200,000.

By comparison, there are an estimated 400,000 deaths annually from malaria, one of the world's most deadly infectious diseases.

Over 50,000 deaths in the USA

The United States had reported more than 52,400 deaths as of Saturday morning, while Italy, Spain and France have reported between 22,000-26,000 fatalities each.

Of the top 20 most severely affected countries, Belgium has reported the highest number of fatalities per capita, with six deaths per 10,000 people, compared to 4.9 in Spain and 1.6 in the United States.

Around 8% of all cases reported in the United States have been fatal, while more than 10% of cases reported in Spain and Italy have resulted in deaths.

However those rates would be considerably lower if the infection totals included the many cases of the illness that go unreported - since not everyone with symptoms is tested.

Asia and Latin America have each reported more than 7,000 deaths, while the Middle East has reported upwards of 8,800. The current toll in Africa is around 1,350.

A display of face masks for sale after the partial lockdown in parts of Ghana to halt the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus was lifted in Accra, Ghana on April 20, 2020. - The streets of Accra buzzed with life following President Nana Akufo-Addo's announ
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A display of face masks for sale after the partial lockdown in parts of Ghana to halt the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus was lifted in Accra, Ghana on April 20, 2020. - The streets of Accra buzzed with life following President Nana Akufo-Addo's announNIPAH DENNISAFP

The global death toll has continued to grow at a rate of 3-4% per day over the past 10 days, though that rate has slowed since the beginning of the month.

The true number of fatalities is expected to be higher as many countries have not included deaths recorded in nursing homes and other locations outside hospitals.

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