WHO records over 2.12 lakh COVID-19 cases worldwide, highest single-day toll

On July 4, the World Health Organization WHO detected a record spike of 212,326 cases from coronavirus in 24 hours that surged the total cases worldwide to 11,272,342 from the previous 189,077 registered on June 28. The biggest jump in the tally was recorded in the United States, Brazil, and India. While the United States detected over 43,000 cases in the last 24 hours, India recorded its highest single-day surge with over 24,000 new cases. 

Globally, the death toll surge remained consistent with 5,000 fatalities per day from the disease. Earlier, at a live-streamed press conference, the World Health Organisation's emergencies chief Michael Ryan said “we need to put up a fight now” hinting at the rising cases and a peak in the current wave of the coronavirus pandemic. WHO insisted that the countries now had to realize the pandemic’s realities and adhere to mask-wearing, social distancing, and hygiene, along with contact-tracing and tracking of cases by health authorities as key strategies to fight the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Asking the governments and individuals worldwide to “contour their policies and behaviour” WHO said, the world was “experiencing a second peak in the first wave” as the virus hadn’t been contained or controlled and the first wave hadn't been suppressed. 

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'Lackadaisical approach' to the health crisis

In a dire warning to the nations, at a conference held on July 3, WHO urged countries to “wake up” to the pandemic situation on the ground as it continues to spiral out of hand with millions infected, and to “take control”. At a briefing hosted by the UN correspondent's association in Geneva, WHO warned the world about the “lackadaisical approach” to the health crisis, hinting at reopening and non-adherence of protective masks use in many countries that were now witnessing a surge in cases. “People need to wake up. The data is not lying. The situation on the ground is not lying,” WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told journalists at a briefing. His remarks came hinting at many Latin American and Asian countries that are witnessing a rise in infections due to the reopening of the economies and resumption of businesses.   

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