, the potentially dangerous pneumonia-like disease caused by the coronavirus and said to have emanated from a local Wuhan market to spread to over 200 countries, have also claimed over 700, 000 lives.
Four months ago on April 2, the world crossed a million cases. Thirteen days later on April 15, two million cases had been recorded and on April 22 the tally reached 2.5 million. There is no vaccine yet for coronavirus and the pathogen has been mutating in its pattern of spread. A study found that deadly disease can spread through the air and remains contagious for hours.As of the time of filing this report, there are 20, 055, 099 confirmed cases across the globe, data from worldometers.info, an online dashboard that tracks global confirmed coronavirus cases.
Some experts believe the death toll could be higher as many people suspected of the disease die without being tested.The United States which already has the highest number of reported infections in the world –5,200,313– also has the highest death toll of about 165, 000.Despite crossing a million milestone of infections on Friday, Africa is the least affected region so far, accounting for only about five per cent of global cases.
The virus has spread to all 54 countries in Africa, stretching already fragile healthcare systems and crippling economies.Thousands of workers have been rendered redundant with several businesses closing up.