More Americans Die From Covid-19

Covid-19 has now killed more Americans than during the Vietnam War! FYI, the country’s nearly two decades of military involvement in Vietnam had sacrificed 58,220 Americans lives.

On Tuesday, a spiky ball of genetic material coated in fatty chemicals called lipids, and which measures 80 billionths of a meter in diameter had caused 59,266 fatalities. And the deaths are still shooting up.

I had come across a news report yesterday that said that data from the US’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates the current death toll may represent an undercount. Why am I not surprised? 

Anyway, it is expected that deaths will continue to climb in the coming days and weeks – even as Donald Trump (left) steadfastly maintains that the coronavirus will be 'eradicated' soon enough. He’s just slathering on generous coatings of positivity to the grim numbers, LOL! 

His son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner (right) went out of his way – to prove yet again how an ardent bootlicker he is. He went on to pronounce that the Trump administration’s much-criticized response to the pandemic is “a great success story”. 

At the time of writing, the US already has one million plus confirmed cases and more than 63,000 deaths.

On the economic front, the country took a walloping, with its GDP contracting 4.8 percent in the first quarter of the year – its sharpest decline since the Great Recession (2007-2009), indeed, an abrupt end to the longest economic expansion in US history. And I don’t anticipate it getting any better in the second quarter either. 

But the US won’t be alone facing this economic predicament. Every nation on the planet is likely to be affected by the devastating fallout from the spread of coronavirus.

Across the Atlantic, the Eurozone's economy shrunk by 3.8 percent in the first quarter, the biggest hit since records began in 1995. 

China had reported on April 15, 2020 that its GDP shrank 6.8 percent in the first quarter, the first contraction since quarterly growth data started in the early 1990s. 

Don't expect any good news any time soon.

The UK on Tuesday saw 25,302 fatalities, on Wednesday, the number rose to 26,097 and on Thursday, it again pushed higher to 26,771. No respite for the British, I’m afraid. 

Besides, the country missed a crucial target: 100,000 daily Covid-19 tests by the end of April. On Wednesday, it seems only some 52,429 tests had been carried out. 

This tells me two things. One, it illustrates very clearly the inadequacies of UK's testing regime. And two, politicians make promises they can’t keep. 

Anyway, missing that key marker isn't the only failing: the UK has the second highest coronavirus death toll in Europe and the third highest in the world.

On Thursday, Russia crossed the 100,000 mark for infections with at least 1,000 lives lost to Covid-19.

And Portugal reached at least 25,000 cases while Ukraine surpassed 10,000.

Indonesia, meanwhile, reported 10,118 todate. If we include it, there are now 37 countries which have registered 10,000 cases and more.