Coronavirus may have infected more than 10 million people worldwide, says Australia

While the deadly coronavirus has already infected more than one million people around the globe, Australia’s chief medical officer reportedly said that as many as ten million people globally may have been infected but due to under-reporting and lack of testing in some countries the infections are going undetected. The deadly virus which originated in China last year has been spreading rapidly and leaders around the world are scrambling to contain the spread of the virus. From lockdowns to releasing the prisoners, governments have been taking various measures to contain the spread of coronavirus. 

However, the virus still managed to infect nearly 1,026,715 people and has now affected 204 countries and territories. While speaking to an international media outlet, Australia’s chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy reportedly said that the true size of the global outbreak may be up to ten times higher. Murphy reportedly said that the mortality rates vary so much around the world that he believes that many infections are going undetected. 

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As per reports, some critics have also highlighted differences in how some countries count coronavirus cases. Taking the example of China, critics have noted how China recently started counting symptomatic cases of COVD-19. Murphy also said that he did not trust any data beyond Australia’s, which has reported almost 5,300 confirmed and cases and nearly 28 deaths so far. 

WHO urges to increase testing 

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation has urged countries to significantly increase the testing for coronavirus. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said that lockdowns intimated by many counties will not be enough to tackle the spread of the deadly virus. Earlier, in the month of March, he also said that the virus is ‘accelerating’. 

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However, Tedros also asserted that it is still possible to ‘change the trajectory of the outbreak. Putting forth preventive measures, he urged people to stay at home and practice other physical distancing measures which will enable slowing down the spread of the virus and buying time. But, he added that they are defensive measures that will not help to win the fight against COVID-19. According to him, there is a need to attack the virus with aggressive and targeted tactics. He further reiterated a call for testing every suspected case, isolating and caring for every confirmed case and tracing and quarantining every close contact. 

(Image source: AP)

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