World struggles as confirmed COVID-19 cases pass 40 million
FILE - This Friday, May 18, 2012 file photo aerial view, made from an hot air balloon, shows the National Stadium, in Warsaw, Poland. Poland’s government is transforming the National Stadium in Warsaw into a field hospital to handle the surging number of patients infecting with the coronavirus. A government spokesman said Monday, Oct. 19, 2020 that the stadium will have room for 500 patients and will be equipped with oxygen therapy for those who need it. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File)
A woman wearing a face mask walks in Manchester, England, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. Britain’s government says discussions about implementing stricter restrictions in Greater Manchester must be completed Monday because the public health threat caused by rising COVID-19 infections is serious and getting worse. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte meets the media in Rome, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. Conte on Sunday announced new measures aimed at halting the spread of coronavirus as infections continue to hit new daily highs, moving into the vulnerable population and putting fresh pressure on hospitals. The restrictions stop short of a curfew like one imposed in Paris and other major French cities. But Italian mayors can close public squares and other gathering places after 9 p.m., permitting access only to reach homes or businesses. (Angelo Carconi/Pool Photo via AP)
Two women sit outside a small clinic in Gampela village on the outskirts of Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, Saturday Oct. 10, 2020, waiting to take their children to the doctor. They sometimes wait up to four hours to get medical help. The public health clinic responsible for serving approximately 11,000 people, did not have a working fridge for almost a year. The vaccine cold chain hurdle is just the latest disparity of the pandemic weighted against the poor, who more often live and work in crowded conditions that allow the virus to spread, have little access to medical oxygen vital to COVID-19 treatment, and whose health systems lack labs, supplies or technicians to carry out large-scale testing. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)
Pedestrians in masks pass a store on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, as government restrictions on business activity limit operations due to an increase of COVID-19 cases, in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of the borough of Queens in New York. After shutdowns swept entire nations during the first surge of the coronavirus earlier this year, some countries and U.S. states are trying more targeted measures as cases rise again around the world. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Empty vaccine bottles lie on a tray inside a small clinic in Gampela village on the outskirts of Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, Saturday Oct. 10, 2020. The public health clinic responsible for serving approximately 11,000 people, did not have a working fridge for almost a year. The vaccine cold chain hurdle is just the latest disparity of the pandemic weighted against the poor, who more often live and work in crowded conditions that allow the virus to spread, have little access to medical oxygen vital to COVID-19 treatment, and whose health systems lack labs, supplies or technicians to carry out large-scale testing. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)
A worker moves boxes at Snowman Logistics, India’s largest cold storage company in Taloja, on the outskirts of Mumbai, India, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. The vaccine cold chain hurdle is just the latest disparity of the pandemic weighted against the poor, who more often live and work in crowded conditions that allow the virus to spread, have little access to medical oxygen vital to COVID-19 treatment, and whose health systems lack labs, supplies or technicians to carry out large-scale testing. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
Image taken from video shows people working inside the UNICEF warehouse, the world’s largest humanitarian aid warehouse, in Copenhagen, Denmark , Tuesday Oct. 13, 2020. For Burkina Faso, India, Venezuela and other countries with shaky health care delivery systems, the best chance for receiving scarce supplies of a coronavirus vaccine is through the Covax initiative, led by the World Health Organization and the Gavi vaccine alliance. UNICEF began laying the groundwork months ago in Copenhagen, at the world’s largest humanitarian aid warehouse. (AP Photo)
FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2020, file photo, demonstrators attend a protest against nationwide restrictions against COVID-19 in Madrid, Spain. Banners read in Spanish “PCR tests give many false positives for COVID-19. Inform yourself.” After shutdowns swept nations during the virus’s first surge earlier this year, some nations and U.S. states are trying more targeted measures as cases rise again around the world, especially in Europe and the Americas. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas, File)
People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk by an advertising billboard at a popular shopping mall in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
FILE-In this May 31, 2020 file photo Moenchengladbach alternate players wearing face masks applaud during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Union Berlin in Moenchengladbach, Germany. Bundesliga clubs are sounding the alarm over players returning from international duty with the coronavirus as Germany’s daily infection rate continues to rise. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
FILE - This Friday, May 18, 2012 file photo aerial view, made from an hot air balloon, shows the National Stadium, in Warsaw, Poland. Poland’s government is transforming the National Stadium in Warsaw into a field hospital to handle the surging number of patients infecting with the coronavirus. A government spokesman said Monday, Oct. 19, 2020 that the stadium will have room for 500 patients and will be equipped with oxygen therapy for those who need it. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File)
FILE - This Friday, May 18, 2012 file photo aerial view, made from an hot air balloon, shows the National Stadium, in Warsaw, Poland. Poland’s government is transforming the National Stadium in Warsaw into a field hospital to handle the surging number of patients infecting with the coronavirus. A government spokesman said Monday, Oct. 19, 2020 that the stadium will have room for 500 patients and will be equipped with oxygen therapy for those who need it. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File)
A woman wearing a face mask walks in Manchester, England, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. Britain’s government says discussions about implementing stricter restrictions in Greater Manchester must be completed Monday because the public health threat caused by rising COVID-19 infections is serious and getting worse. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
A woman wearing a face mask walks in Manchester, England, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. Britain’s government says discussions about implementing stricter restrictions in Greater Manchester must be completed Monday because the public health threat caused by rising COVID-19 infections is serious and getting worse. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte meets the media in Rome, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. Conte on Sunday announced new measures aimed at halting the spread of coronavirus as infections continue to hit new daily highs, moving into the vulnerable population and putting fresh pressure on hospitals. The restrictions stop short of a curfew like one imposed in Paris and other major French cities. But Italian mayors can close public squares and other gathering places after 9 p.m., permitting access only to reach homes or businesses. (Angelo Carconi/Pool Photo via AP)
Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte meets the media in Rome, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. Conte on Sunday announced new measures aimed at halting the spread of coronavirus as infections continue to hit new daily highs, moving into the vulnerable population and putting fresh pressure on hospitals. The restrictions stop short of a curfew like one imposed in Paris and other major French cities. But Italian mayors can close public squares and other gathering places after 9 p.m., permitting access only to reach homes or businesses. (Angelo Carconi/Pool Photo via AP)
Two women sit outside a small clinic in Gampela village on the outskirts of Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, Saturday Oct. 10, 2020, waiting to take their children to the doctor. They sometimes wait up to four hours to get medical help. The public health clinic responsible for serving approximately 11,000 people, did not have a working fridge for almost a year. The vaccine cold chain hurdle is just the latest disparity of the pandemic weighted against the poor, who more often live and work in crowded conditions that allow the virus to spread, have little access to medical oxygen vital to COVID-19 treatment, and whose health systems lack labs, supplies or technicians to carry out large-scale testing. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)
Two women sit outside a small clinic in Gampela village on the outskirts of Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, Saturday Oct. 10, 2020, waiting to take their children to the doctor. They sometimes wait up to four hours to get medical help. The public health clinic responsible for serving approximately 11,000 people, did not have a working fridge for almost a year. The vaccine cold chain hurdle is just the latest disparity of the pandemic weighted against the poor, who more often live and work in crowded conditions that allow the virus to spread, have little access to medical oxygen vital to COVID-19 treatment, and whose health systems lack labs, supplies or technicians to carry out large-scale testing. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)
Pedestrians in masks pass a store on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, as government restrictions on business activity limit operations due to an increase of COVID-19 cases, in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of the borough of Queens in New York. After shutdowns swept entire nations during the first surge of the coronavirus earlier this year, some countries and U.S. states are trying more targeted measures as cases rise again around the world. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Pedestrians in masks pass a store on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, as government restrictions on business activity limit operations due to an increase of COVID-19 cases, in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of the borough of Queens in New York. After shutdowns swept entire nations during the first surge of the coronavirus earlier this year, some countries and U.S. states are trying more targeted measures as cases rise again around the world. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Empty vaccine bottles lie on a tray inside a small clinic in Gampela village on the outskirts of Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, Saturday Oct. 10, 2020. The public health clinic responsible for serving approximately 11,000 people, did not have a working fridge for almost a year. The vaccine cold chain hurdle is just the latest disparity of the pandemic weighted against the poor, who more often live and work in crowded conditions that allow the virus to spread, have little access to medical oxygen vital to COVID-19 treatment, and whose health systems lack labs, supplies or technicians to carry out large-scale testing. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)
Empty vaccine bottles lie on a tray inside a small clinic in Gampela village on the outskirts of Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, Saturday Oct. 10, 2020. The public health clinic responsible for serving approximately 11,000 people, did not have a working fridge for almost a year. The vaccine cold chain hurdle is just the latest disparity of the pandemic weighted against the poor, who more often live and work in crowded conditions that allow the virus to spread, have little access to medical oxygen vital to COVID-19 treatment, and whose health systems lack labs, supplies or technicians to carry out large-scale testing. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)
A worker moves boxes at Snowman Logistics, India’s largest cold storage company in Taloja, on the outskirts of Mumbai, India, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. The vaccine cold chain hurdle is just the latest disparity of the pandemic weighted against the poor, who more often live and work in crowded conditions that allow the virus to spread, have little access to medical oxygen vital to COVID-19 treatment, and whose health systems lack labs, supplies or technicians to carry out large-scale testing. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
A worker moves boxes at Snowman Logistics, India’s largest cold storage company in Taloja, on the outskirts of Mumbai, India, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. The vaccine cold chain hurdle is just the latest disparity of the pandemic weighted against the poor, who more often live and work in crowded conditions that allow the virus to spread, have little access to medical oxygen vital to COVID-19 treatment, and whose health systems lack labs, supplies or technicians to carry out large-scale testing. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
Image taken from video shows people working inside the UNICEF warehouse, the world’s largest humanitarian aid warehouse, in Copenhagen, Denmark , Tuesday Oct. 13, 2020. For Burkina Faso, India, Venezuela and other countries with shaky health care delivery systems, the best chance for receiving scarce supplies of a coronavirus vaccine is through the Covax initiative, led by the World Health Organization and the Gavi vaccine alliance. UNICEF began laying the groundwork months ago in Copenhagen, at the world’s largest humanitarian aid warehouse. (AP Photo)
Image taken from video shows people working inside the UNICEF warehouse, the world’s largest humanitarian aid warehouse, in Copenhagen, Denmark , Tuesday Oct. 13, 2020. For Burkina Faso, India, Venezuela and other countries with shaky health care delivery systems, the best chance for receiving scarce supplies of a coronavirus vaccine is through the Covax initiative, led by the World Health Organization and the Gavi vaccine alliance. UNICEF began laying the groundwork months ago in Copenhagen, at the world’s largest humanitarian aid warehouse. (AP Photo)
FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2020, file photo, demonstrators attend a protest against nationwide restrictions against COVID-19 in Madrid, Spain. Banners read in Spanish “PCR tests give many false positives for COVID-19. Inform yourself.” After shutdowns swept nations during the virus’s first surge earlier this year, some nations and U.S. states are trying more targeted measures as cases rise again around the world, especially in Europe and the Americas. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2020, file photo, demonstrators attend a protest against nationwide restrictions against COVID-19 in Madrid, Spain. Banners read in Spanish “PCR tests give many false positives for COVID-19. Inform yourself.” After shutdowns swept nations during the virus’s first surge earlier this year, some nations and U.S. states are trying more targeted measures as cases rise again around the world, especially in Europe and the Americas. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas, File)
People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk by an advertising billboard at a popular shopping mall in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk by an advertising billboard at a popular shopping mall in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
FILE-In this May 31, 2020 file photo Moenchengladbach alternate players wearing face masks applaud during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Union Berlin in Moenchengladbach, Germany. Bundesliga clubs are sounding the alarm over players returning from international duty with the coronavirus as Germany’s daily infection rate continues to rise. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
FILE-In this May 31, 2020 file photo Moenchengladbach alternate players wearing face masks applaud during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Union Berlin in Moenchengladbach, Germany. Bundesliga clubs are sounding the alarm over players returning from international duty with the coronavirus as Germany’s daily infection rate continues to rise. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
LONDON (AP) — The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the planet has surpassed 40 million, but experts say that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the true impact of the pandemic that has upended life and work around the world.
The milestone was hit Monday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University, which collates reports from around the world.
The actual worldwide tally of COVID-19 cases is likely to be far higher, as testing has been uneven or limited, many people have had no symptoms and some governments have concealed the true number of cases. To date, more than 1.1 million confirmed virus deaths have been reported, although experts also believe that number is an undercount.
The U.S., India and Brazil are reporting by far the highest numbers of cases — 8.1 million, 7.5 million and 5.2 million respectively — although the global increase in recent weeks has been driven by a surge in Europe, which has seen over 240,000 confirmed virus deaths in the pandemic so far.
In the U.S., some states are trying more targeted measures as cases continue to rise across the country. New York’s new round of virus shutdowns zeroes in on individual neighborhoods, closing schools and businesses in hot spots measuring just a couple of square miles.
As of last week, new cases per day were on the rise in 44 U.S. states, with many of the biggest surges in the Midwest and Great Plains, where resistance to wearing masks and taking other precautions has been running high and the virus has often been seen as just a big-city problem. Deaths per day were climbing in 30 states.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious-disease expert, said Americans should think hard about whether to hold Thanksgiving gatherings next month.
The World Health Organization said last week that Europe had a reported a record weekly high of nearly 700,000 cases and said the region was responsible for about a third of cases globally. Britain, France, Russia and Spain account for about half of all new cases in the region, and countries like Belgium and the Czech Republic are facing more intense outbreaks now than they did in the spring.
WHO said the new measures being taken across Europe are “absolutely essential” in stopping COVID-19 from overwhelming its hospitals. Those include new requirements on mask-wearing in Italy and Switzerland, closing schools in Northern Ireland and the Czech Republic, closing restaurants and bars in Belgium, implementing a 9 p.m. curfew in France and having targeted limited lockdowns in parts of the U.K.
The agency said several European cities could soon see their intensive care units overwhelmed and warned that governments and citizens should take all necessary measures to slow the spread of the virus, including bolstering testing and contact tracing, wearing face masks and following social distancing measures.
WHO has previously estimated about 1 in 10 of the world’s population — about 780 million people — have been infected with COVID-19, more than 20 times the official number of cases. That suggests the vast majority of the world’s population is still susceptible to the virus.
Some researchers have argued that allowing COVID-19 to spread in populations that are not obviously vulnerable will help build up herd immunity and is a more realistic way to stop the pandemic instead of the restrictive lockdowns that have proved economically devastating.
But WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned against the belief that herd immunity might be a viable strategy to pursue, saying this kind of protection needs to be achieved by vaccination, not by deliberately exposing people to a potentially fatal disease.
“Allowing a dangerous virus that we don’t fully understand to run free is simply unethical,” Tedros said last week.
The U.N. health agency said it hopes there might be enough data to determine if any of the COVID-19 vaccines now being tested are effective by the end of the year. But it warned that first-generation vaccines are unlikely to provide complete protection and that it could take at least two years to bring the pandemic under control.
Logistics experts also say that some 3 billion of the world’s 7.8 billion people live in areas that lack the infrastructure to refrigerate new vaccines safely, a challenge that is sure to slow down the delivery of vaccines to those areas. This includes most of Central Asia, much of India and southeast Asia, Latin America except for the largest countries, and all but a tiny corner of Africa.
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