Four new countries reported their first cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours (March 10 - March 11) and as the World Health Organization characterized the virus now as "pandemic."
As of March 11, Wednesday night, COVID-19 has infected a total of 118,326 people. There are 4627 new cases reported in the past 24 hours. The number of people who died of complications of the virus is now at 4,292, with newly confirmed fatalities of 280.
In China, where the outbreak claimed the most lives, there are now 80,955 confirmed cases, with only 31 new cases reported as of Wednesday night. The Asian country saw 3,162 people dying due to the virus. The most recent count is 22.
As the virus seemed to now be slowing down in China, more countries are reporting their first cases. Outside of China, 37,371 people died due to the virus. Of that, 4,596 were reported overnight. Deaths are now at 1,130 with new fatalities at 258.
Bolivia, Jamaica, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of Congo have reported their first cases of COVID-19 pandemic in the past 24 hours.
Bolivia confirmed two cases but the attention is on the 65-year-old patient who according to local reports were turned away from hospitals due to fear of contraction. Recent reports said the elderly woman is now placed under care inside a government office after local residents and up to four public hospitals rejected her. It wasn't immediately clear if she was a foreigner or a local resident or whether it was the local or foreign transmission.
Jamaica, on the other hand, reported that its first case of infection is of foreign transmission. The patient is a Jamaican woman who traveled from the United Kingdom. The female has been kept in isolation since she arrived on the island on March 4.
Burkina Faso reported its First two cases of COVID-19 infections, becoming the sixth country in sub-Saharan Africa to be affected by COVID-19. The two patients are husband and wife who came home from a trip to France.
Congo announced its first confirmed COVID-19 infection. The patient is a Belgian citizen who has been placed under quarantine upon arriving Congo.
In his latest speech, WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus highlighted that developments suggest that older people and those younger but with underlying medical conditions are most likely to be infected. This does not mean however those children are spared from the virus. At the end of the day, COVID-19 became a pandemic because it infects people of all ages across the world.
