Coronavirus; death toll crosses 2200

Current figures for the virus are as follows; there are 77,272 confirmed cases, 2,250 deaths, and 18,910 recovered. There are currently 56,112 active cases with 12,071 people in a serious or critical condition.

Cases outside of China have increased to 1,380 of which 14 have died, 237 have recovered, and 54 are in a serious or critical condition. Most recently there have been 3 deaths in South Korea, 2 deaths from among those on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, and 2 deaths in Iran (the latest country to report the virus).

Japan is still the highest infected zone outside of China, with 742; 108 on land and 634 abord the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

South Korea, now the second highest, with 205 cases. The number of cases in South Korean spiked alarmingly this week with 94 new cases reported in the last 24 hours as of Friday 21st, 9.00pm GMT.

Cases in Italy have also quadrupled, with 15 new in the same time period. Cases in the USA have also increased by 20; this number does not include a number of passengers from the Diamond Princess who are considered “presumptive positive cases” by the CDC and are being retested in the United States.

As of the 18th, the WHO Operations Support and Logistics (OSL) has been dispatching COVID-19 testing kits. Previously countries had to send samples to specific labs to test. The new testing kits allow results to be confirmed on the ground and much faster.

• As of the 19th, the WHO is working with an international network of statisticians and mathematical modelers to estimate key epidemiologic parameters of COVID19 such as; incubation period, case fatality ratio, and the serial interval (the time between symptom onset of a primary and secondary case). While there is still much data to be collected and analysed, officially recognised statistics from the WHO will help verify findings currently coming from several universities.
• As of the 20th, the WHO updated the estimated value of Infection-Fatality Ratio (IFR) to 0.94%, which replaces their lowest estimate, the highest estimate still being at 1.0%. What this mean is, considering the total number of infections included outside of Wuhan, China (where the most infections and deaths occurred), the current estimate for fatality is at or below 1.0%.
• As of the 21st, the WHO are investigating the potential for the virus to remain on surfaces, especially food, and whether that could be a mode for transmission. They advise, as a general rule, the consumption of raw or undercooked animal products should be avoided. Raw meat, raw milk or raw animal organs should be handled with care to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods. While coronavirus strains have shown resistance and an ability to survive in freezing temperatures, they are susceptible to high temperatures and therefore well-cooked foods are considered safe.

Figures for the outbreak by country as are follows (infected / dead);

China - 75891 / 2236
Japan - 108 / 1
Japan - Diamond Princess - 634 / 2
South Korea - 205 / 2
Singapore - 86 / 0
Hong Kong - 69 / 2
Thailand - 35 / 0
United States - 35 / 0
Taiwan - 26 / 1
Malaysia - 22 / 0
Italy - 20+ / 0
Australia - 19 / 0
Iran - 18 / 4
Germany - 16 / 0
Vietnam - 16 / 0
France - 12 / 1
UAE - 11 / 0
Macau - 10 / 0
Canada - 9 / 0
United Kingdom - 9 / 0
India - 3 / 0
Philippines - 3 / 1
Russia - 2 / 0
Spain - 2 / 0
Belgium - 1 / 0
Cambodia - 1 / 0
Egypt - 1 / 0
Finland - 1 / 0
Israel - 1 / 0
Lebanon - 1 / 0
Nepal - 1 / 0
Sri Lanka - 1 / 0
Sweden - 1 / 0

SOURCE (WHO, WORDOMETERS, JHU, TELEGRAM)