Despite the huge and not so huge vaccine drives across the world, the deaths due to COVID-19 are still rising. On Saturday, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University said that the worldwide death toll has crossed three million, while 414 million have been infected with the virus. Unfortunately, the death rates are rising again at a rate of 12,000 per day, while those infected cross a staggering 700,000 per day.
The number of deaths and infected could be higher due to concealments by governments or due to initial lack of knowledge about the virus from Wuhan, that could have resulted in many cases remaining undisclosed, undiagnosed or overlooked or attributed to other causes including underlying co-morbidities.
Around 190 countries have started mass immunization and vaccines shots have been given to almost half or less or more of the citizens in more developed countries while poorer nations have vaccinated sparse numbers of their population.
Setbacks in vaccinations as well as other circumstances have made the cases rise by huge numbers especially in Brazil, India and France.
Brazil is very badly hit by the coronavirus as over 3,000 deaths are reported daily. Slow vaccine rollout, a lack of seriousness by health agencies and a general laxity in fighting the virus have contributed to a huge surge in cases.
India is another country that has seen a huge rise in cases due to various factors. Once an exporter of vaccines, now the country has stopped its distribution outside the country as it struggles to fight more virulent and highly transmissible strains of COVID-19.
France is also seeing a resurgence of cases as over 6,000 patients are now in critical care. The health workers are exhausted and are hoping that restrictions on schools and businesses will curb the upward climb.
Despite vaccines, different highly transmissible variants, some pandemic fatigue leading to carelessness and the lifting of some restrictions without the necessary protocols in place could be some of the factors that are behind this recent surge.
