17 April
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases globally has reached 2,090,110, with a total of 139,469 deaths. The US remains the most affected country, followed by five European countries: Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and the UK.
After a week of declining new confirmed cases reported daily, there was a slight increase on April 15. However, 37,538 cases were reported as newly recovered on April 15, which is a record since the beginning of the outbreak.
European countries are beginning to gradually decrease their restriction measures after passing the outbreak peak.
However, the increase in the number of new confirmed cases in Spain from 2,913 on the 14th to 5,103 on 15 April might indicate that the decision to begin lifting restrictions was made somewhat prematurely.
As expected, leadership in France and the UK have extended these countries’ lockdown periods. Although the UK showed reduced numbers as of 15 April, the fluctuating figures during the past week confirm that the country has not reached a point where restrictions can be safely reduced.
Bahram Hassanpourfard, MPH, Epidemiologist, GlobalData
