26 January
Globally, the total confirmed cases of Covid-19 have reached over 99,800,000 with more than 2,142,000 deaths and 64,939,000 recoveries.
The US, followed by India and Brazil, continue to lead the world in total confirmed cases.
However, In terms of active cases, Western Europe is significantly affected.
Outside of the US, the UK, France, and Spain have the highest number of active cases worldwide following the sharp rise in cases since late December.
A new variant of the virus (P.1) originating in Brazil which shares similar characteristics to the variant initially detected in South Africa (B.1.351) has been detected in the US for the first time.
Meanwhile, a recent international survey (currently in the pre-print stage) revealed that 2,464 of 3,700 ‘long haulers’ – those who experience Covid-19 symptoms for over 28 days – continued to report symptoms lasting over six months.
The findings suggest that even among non-severe cases, the virus’s potential prolonged impact may continue to affect many lives well after clearing the initial viral infection, which typically takes around 10-14 days after symptom onset.
Walter Gabriel, MPH, Epidemiologist at GlobalData Plc.
