World 3.1 million USA 1 million France 160K+ Germany 160K+
Australia is in a far better position than the vast majority of other countries, financially and health wise. Australia now has around 6,700 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with more than 5,600 of those people having recovered. There are now more than 40 countries with more confirmed cases of COVID-19 than Australia.
The country with by far the highest daily increase is the USA, with somewhere between 20,000 and 38,000 new cases diagnosed every day. Russia is next with over 6,000 per day followed by Brazil and the UK with over 4,000 daily. Every single number is a story of individual suffering, pain and grief, shared by the hardship and sacrifice of health workers on the front line.
US Vice President, Mike Pence has visited the Mayo Clinic, but flouted their policy of wearing a mask during his visit. According to a reporter who travelled with him, Pence was the only person inside the facility without a mask. Pence told reporters he was mindful of the guidelines, but wasn’t concerned about spreading the virus because he’s ‘tested negative’. The mind boggles. Let’s see how that decision plays out over the next couple of weeks in Washington.
Here in Victoria the Premier, Daniel Andrews has ramped up testing with a goal to test 100,000 Victorians by May 11, before any announcement about the possible winding back of restrictions.