Covid Global Data

Dr.C.J.George
18 Jan 2021

As on the 23rd December 2020, in the whole world 78.53 million people were infected by the corona virus and 1.728 million people have died. It is natural to have multiple mutations for any virus for their survival. Mutated virus or variant virus is likely to be less virulent. In the UK the variant virus has increased the transmissibility, although scientists say that the virulence of it has reduced.

Country wise, the US lost the maximum at 331000 people but their per million mortality rate is high at 997. Considering per million mortality rate, Italy ranks the first at 1156 per million.This is closely followed by Peru at 1121 and then the Spain where the per million rate is 1059, then Britain at 1004 and followed by Argentina at 931 as per today’s statistics. One of the countries claimed to be having no mortality or infection is North Korea bearing in mind that the regime suppress all unfavourable data. Pacific Islands are said to be without coronavirus infection. Although an autocratic state, the reports from Vietnam is more credible than North Korea, where the total mortality is only 35, and the per million rate is only 0.4!. If true, it is a good record, bearing in mind that the country is densely populated. The next closest to that record is Taiwan. There were BBC reports that countries like India are not giving a true picture of mortality. BBC report, is that the Indian authorities count only deaths certified as by Covid-19. Initially, Indian authorities led by Narendra Modi controlled the pandemic with stringent lock down measures, but later it spread like wildfire. Currently it has been reported that 146000 people died in India due to Covid-19 and the per million rate is low at 113. Donald Trump of the US and Jair Bolsonaro,of Brazil were accused of downplaying the crisis, and as leaders of the countries. They recklessly addressed the nations to consider Covid-19 pandemic, just like a flu! This was against the guidelines of the chief of World Health Organisation, who repeatedly asked all heads of countries to implement strict measures like quarantine, social distancing,testing and tracing and scrupulous washing of hands.

Although initially China tried to hush up the news of spread of Covid-19, later they enforced harsh methods, so that they achieved 4 deaths per million people, or the total mortality 4680 as on today. Amazingly densely populated Far East cities like Hong Kong and Singapore were hardly affected by the menace of coronavirus. But in Mumbai, and in Delhi the death rate was alarmingly high. This stark difference in mortality rate in Asian population suggests that the public health management and enforcement have a real role to play in containing the spread of the pandemic. Today, one of the readers of my blog asked, when will the Corona virus disappear. I told him, like smallpox, measles, Hepatitis B virus, coronavirus also will be with us for ever. But the advent of vaccination, the spread of both variant and original sars coronavirus will be controlled. Remember, dinosaurs ruled the world about 200 million years ago, and the nature made it extinct about 60 million years ago! History teaches us how periodically human population was controlled by bacterial and viral epidemics and pandemics. Developed countries like UK, USA, Israel, China and Canada, have started vaccinating against the coronavirus. I am sure, within a few months the ravage of the virus will be put to a stop, and the world will regain our culture and civilisation.

Dr.C.J.George

This blog is about my experience as a doctor working in various countries in different clinical set up. This experience spans through 45 years, in which I acquired a lot of favourable contacts and unfavourable encounters. I shall dig deep into them and make it interesting to the readers. Unlike others in the profession, I worked as a community medical officer in a remote areas, prison medical officer, benefit service medical officer, in cardiac surgery in prestigious institutions and as a private doctor. I was managing my own businesses, and real estate in three continents. I hope the information I impart will be valuable to the like minded readers.